Leaders of Europe's top military powers will meet in Berlin Wednesday to discuss the Ukraine conflict and preparations for the upcoming NATO summit, the German government said.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to host the leaders of France, Britain, Italy and Poland, a spokesman said Monday, adding that the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had not changed those plans.
"We'll stick to our plan and carry on as we have been doing over the past few days," government spokesman Stefan Kornelius told a regular press briefing.
NATO chief Mark Rutte is set to join the talks via video link. The meeting is due to start at 4:45 p.m. (2:45 p.m. GMT) and a joint press conference is planned for 6 p.m. GMT.
"The focus of the meeting ... is preparation for the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7 and 8 and, of course, the invasion of Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East," said Kornelius.
Starmer tendered his resignation Monday, but is expected to remain in office for months until a new leader is chosen.
The so-called E5 group was formed in 2024 in response to growing calls for European rearmament and improved coordination to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
The Italian government had earlier said Monday that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni would attend the meeting with her counterparts.
At last week's Group of Seven (G-7) summit attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leaders agreed to increase supplies of air defense equipment to Ukraine and boost sanctions on Russia.
The G-7 leaders also agreed to grant licences for Ukraine-based companies to produce long-range missiles and air defense systems, a diplomatic source said.
But Zelenskyy has called for Europe to do more as U.S. efforts to end the fighting have faded.
A European Union official said EU chief Antonio Costa's office had made "brief contacts at the diplomatic level" with Moscow to open communication channels.
But some EU states have been wary about reaching out to the Kremlin, with diplomats saying several leaders pushed back against Costa's efforts at last week's EU summit in Brussels.
