Europe's five most powerful NATO member states gathered in Berlin for top-level talks on Wednesday evening.
The meeting comes two weeks before the NATO summit in Turkey.
Known collectively as the E5, the gathering was hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who was joined by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
After the meeting, Merz said "our neighbors should feel more secure if Germany grows stronger."
"That is why we want to firmly anchor Germany, its armed forces, and its defense industry within the alliance and in Europe. We have a profound interest of our own in doing so," he added.
