European leaders pledge stronger Ukraine support ahead of NATO summit in Ankara

Top European leaders meeting in Berlin have pledged to step up support for Ukraine ahead of next month's NATO summit in Ankara. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosted the leaders of Britain, France, Italy and Poland as part of the European Group of Five, or E5, and said they wanted to send a strong signal of support to Kyiv. The talks came as allies prepare for the July 7-8 summit, where leaders from 32 countries are expected to gather.

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Merz said the message to Russia was that Ukraine remains strong. In a joint statement, Merz, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Giorgia Meloni and Donald Tusk said they would further substantially support Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression. The statement specifically referred to sanctions and economic pressure on Russia, as well as support for the resilience of Ukraine's energy sector.

The leaders also held a videolink call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte before the Berlin meeting. The gathering in Berlin was presented as part of wider allied coordination before the NATO summit, which will include United States President Donald Trump. Merz said a successful summit would strengthen transatlantic ties with the United States and bring Europeans closer together.

He also said he would brief Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the talks. The meeting followed similar messages at last week's European Union summit, where the E5 countries signalled a commitment to increase defence spending in support of Ukraine. The timing matters because the NATO summit is expected to be a key test of allied unity on Ukraine at a moment of continuing Russian aggression.

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The Berlin talks were designed to show that Europe's largest military and political powers remain aligned on sanctions, defence support and energy resilience. That is significant not only for Ukraine's battlefield position, but also for the broader credibility of NATO's response to the war. It also reflects an effort by European leaders to shape the agenda before the summit opens in Turkey.

The E5 format brings together Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland, countries that have increasingly coordinated on defence and security issues since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In Berlin, the leaders sought to present a common position ahead of a summit that will also involve the United States and Turkey. Reporting from the meeting indicated that the message was aimed not only at Moscow, but also at Washington, as allies look to keep the transatlantic relationship aligned on Ukraine.

The leaders also linked their support for Kyiv with broader European defence spending commitments discussed in Brussels last week. What remains unclear is how far the pledges will translate into new measures before the NATO summit and what specific steps will follow the Berlin statement. It is also not yet clear how the allies will balance support for Ukraine with other issues expected to come before leaders in Ankara.

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