European leaders reiterated on Wednesday their commitment to bolstering defence cooperation ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for next month in Ankara, amid recurring disagreements with U.S. President Donald Trump and rising tensions among key European nations.
They also bid a warm farewell to outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation this week following mounting dissatisfaction within his party.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, and Poland in Berlin, said the July 7‑8 NATO summit will serve as a platform for Europe to demonstrate its resolve to assume a stronger leadership role in defence.
“We aim to revitalise the Alliance and fortify its European pillar,” Merz remarked as the leaders exchanged brief comments before dinner.
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Cover image: TALKING EUROPE © FRANCE 24 
A joint statement affirmed the participants’ unwavering commitment to Euro‑Atlantic security and the transatlantic bond.
Beneath the displays of unity, Merz’s Berlin invitation followed a series of incidents that exposed lingering defence and security disagreements among Europe’s principal partners.
Berlin and Paris have witnessed the collapse of their long‑delayed FCAS joint fighter programme due to strategic and managerial discord, highlighting the challenges Europe faces in coordinating defence renewal as the United States under Trump distances itself from NATO.
In recent months, Washington has criticised NATO allies for their hesitance to back the U.S.–Israeli campaign against Iran and warned of potential troop drawdowns in Europe.
Germany, France and Britain, the so‑called E3 group, have also faced criticism from some European capitals, including Rome and Warsaw, for allegedly excluding other countries from talks on Ukraine.
Merz, who has previously argued that the E3 framework enables swift European action, avoided delving into the differences directly but emphasized the goal of strengthening a collective approach, particularly a robust partnership with the United States.
“We are moving forward together,” he stated, adding that “unilateral national defence initiatives would be a misstep.”
He noted that he would brief Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and other partners on the outcomes of the Wednesday talks.
The leaders paid warm tribute to Starmer, who had sought to reinvigorate UK‑EU relations after Britain’s referendum to leave the European Union a decade ago.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
