European leaders pledge higher defence spending and Ukraine aid at Berlin NATO meeting

Leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom met in Berlin to coordinate their positions ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz outlined five key messages, calling for a stronger European NATO pillar and an increase of defence spending to 3.5 % of GDP, while proposing a new financing package for Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted the recent G7 consensus on Ukraine and noted the first full alignment of European and US support for Kyiv in 18 months. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed the need for European strategic autonomy and a robust defence industrial base. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the largest sustainable rise in UK defence spending since the Cold War, linking military capability to economic and technological competitiveness. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledged roughly 7 % of Poland’s GDP for defence, one of the highest NATO shares.

The five leaders also reaffirmed pressure on Russia, support for US‑Iran negotiations and the protection of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting signalled Europe’s intent to assume a larger share of collective security responsibilities and to increase resources for both the alliance and the defence industry.

A related report noted that US President Trump has threatened to scale back American commitments in Europe, prompting European allies to prepare to fill capability gaps as US forces are slated for reduction. The Berlin gathering served as a pre‑summit rehearsal to present a united front despite trans‑Atlantic tensions.