Germany's Merz pledges to strengthen NATO at E5 meeting

E5 leaders want to renew NATO, strengthen its European pillar, says the German Chancellor Merz at summit. Two weeks before the NATO summit in Ankara, the major European partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the alliance.

The leaders of the so-called E5 countries (Germany, France, Italy, The United Kingdom and Poland) met in Berlin on Wednesday, to prepare for the NATO summit that will take place in Ankara next month.

Following the meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the German Chancellor outlined five messages for the NATO summit. Higher defense spending, he added, lays the foundation for a more balanced transatlantic partnership.