Merz hosts the E5 in Berlin to align before the NATO summit in Turkey
France, the UK, Italy and Poland join Germany to coordinate Ukraine, Iran and burden-sharing
Summary
On Friedrich Merz's invitation, the leaders of Europe's five biggest powers — Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni, the UK's caretaker premier, Donald Tusk and Merz — convened in Berlin around 22–23 June 2026, the first E5 leaders' meeting since the June 2025 NATO summit in The Hague and roughly two weeks before the next NATO summit in Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte joined from Washington. The agenda: continued Ukraine support, Europe's role in the Iran ceasefire, and US pressure on defence burden-sharing. A live fault line runs underneath: Ukraine diplomacy is being driven by the smaller E3 (Germany, France, the UK), which Italy and Poland resent — Tusk insists Poland must be "at the table." It extends the Macron's Évian G7 turns Trump toward Ukraine, drops the joint communiqué coordination and Germany's post-Évian role.
By the numbers
- 5 — E5 members (the four European G7 states plus Poland).
- ~2 weeks — gap to the NATO summit in Turkey.
- 1 — prior E5 leaders' meeting (June 2025, The Hague).
- 3 — E3 states (Germany, France, UK) driving Ukraine diplomacy, to Italy's and Poland's irritation.
Why it matters
The Berlin meeting is Europe pre-negotiating a common line on Ukraine, Iran and spending before confronting a transactional Washington in Turkey. The E5-versus-E3 friction exposes who counts as a first-tier European power — and whether the bloc can speak with one voice on defence.
What to watch
- Whether the Turkey NATO summit lands a unified European burden-sharing pledge.
- Tusk's push to widen Ukraine diplomacy beyond the E3.
- Concrete follow-through on Iran/Hormuz security commitments.