A draft joint statement from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK (E5) says
Russia is the most urgent and long-term threat to European security and pledges
steadfast support for Ukraine. The draft accuses Russia of continuing the war in
Ukraine, violating allied airspace, repeatedly carrying out sabotage and
mounting increasingly frequent multi‑domain hybrid attacks. Ministers plan to
say Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own security; the
statement is expected after a Paris meeting on Monday. It adds the US remains an
indispensable ally and that greater European responsibility should begin by
strengthening European allies’ capabilities and status within NATO. The draft
says EU regulatory and financial tools can help member states build defense
capacity but EU efforts should reinforce, not duplicate, NATO and remain open to
non‑NATO members.
