European leaders pledge stronger role in NATO before Trump-Rutte talks – POLITICO

BERLIN — The leaders of Germany, France, Italy, the U.K. and Poland pledged to strengthen NATO's European pillar ahead of a Wednesday meeting between the chief of the alliance and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The leaders of the so-called E5 group met in Berlin to coordinate a joint position ahead of next month’s NATO summit in Ankara. They also discussed support for Ukraine as Russia faces setbacks on the battlefield and as Trump, after months focused largely on Iran, pledged increased backing for Kyiv at last week's G7 summit in France.

“This is a really important moment to ramp up the pressure on [Russia’s] economy with more sanctions and providing Ukraine with more military support,” outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters in Berlin.