BERLIN — European leaders pledged Wednesday to bolster their defence cooperation ahead of next month’s NATO summit in Ankara, while bidding farewell to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after his surprise resignation.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosted leaders from Britain, France, Italy and Poland in Berlin and said the July 7-8 summit should showcase Europe’s resolve to take a larger leadership role in security. “We want to renew the Alliance. We are strengthening its European pillar,” Merz told reporters before a working dinner, and a joint statement affirmed their commitment to Euro-Atlantic security and the transatlantic bond.
The meeting followed a string of disputes with U.S. President Donald Trump and tensions among major European partners. Merz’s invitation underscored divisions on defence projects and strategy, highlighted by the collapse of the long-delayed Franco-German FCAS fighter programme amid strategic and management disagreements.
Recent rows have included U.S. criticism of the alliance’s stance on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and threats to cut troop levels in Europe, and complaints from Rome and Warsaw that the E3 (Germany, France and Britain) has excluded other capitals from talks with Ukraine. Merz said Europe must avoid unilateral defence moves and pursue a coordinated approach, pledging to brief Trump, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and other partners on the talks.
Leaders also paid tribute to Starmer, who announced this week he would step down amid party unrest. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised efforts to rebuild ties with Europe since Britain’s 2016 referendum, saying Starmer had helped “forget about Brexit for a moment.”