Europe’s five leading NATO members have pledged to take greater responsibility for the continent’s security while maintaining the United States as an indispensable ally, seeking to strengthen Europe’s role within the military alliance amid uncertainty over Washington’s future military presence.
Defence ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK, known as the E5 group, made the commitment after talks in Paris on Monday, stressing that Europe must shoulder a greater share of the burden while preserving close coordination with Washington and other NATO members.
“We are determined to work in close coordination with the United States and all Allies in order to implement this concrete ambition,” the ministers said in a joint statement.
“The United States is and will remain an indispensable Ally, and continued United States engagement in European security is essential to a strong and credible NATO,” they added.
E5 seeks a stronger Europe within NATO
French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin said the five countries had agreed to pursue “a stronger Europe within an equally stronger NATO” through a coordinated plan developed in “full transparency” with Washington.
The group’s next meeting will take place in Rome in March 2027, Vautrin said.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who attended the meeting, also called for further investment in Europe’s military capabilities.
“We must continue to modernise our forces and capabilities to build a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO,” Kallas said.
Poland was represented by Deputy Defence Minister Pawel Zalewski.
Planned US troop reduction raises coordination concerns
The talks come as Washington plans to withdraw around 5,000 troops from Germany, roughly 15 percent of the approximately 36,000 US troops stationed there.
The Pentagon announced the planned reduction in May, catching European allies off guard. Washington said the withdrawal would take place over six to 12 months.
Zalewski said he was confident that any agreement on the US military presence would be coordinated with allies to avoid gaps in deterrence or military capabilities.
The E5 statement sought to balance calls for greater European responsibility with an acknowledgement that continued US engagement remains central to NATO’s collective defence.
European ministers reaffirm support for Ukraine
The five countries also reiterated their commitment to supporting Ukraine, although they announced no new financial or operational assistance following the meeting.
British minister Wes Streeting said European support would continue for as long as necessary, warning that the Russian threat was “of a kind we haven't seen since the end of the Cold War”.
At the same time, Streeting stressed that the allies were not seeking a direct confrontation with Moscow.
“None of us seek war with Russia. And we certainly have no quarrel with the Russian people,” he said.
