The defence ministers of five major European countries (E5) - Germany, France, Poland, Italy and the United Kingdom - meeting in Berlin with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, have pledged in a joint statement to strengthen their cooperation in the fight against hybrid threats.
“We will intensify our cooperation to counter hybrid threats against allies, in particular by responding to the challenges posed by drones, cyber attacks and disinformation”, said the ministers from the five European countries that spend the most on defence. According to them, this will involve, among other things, “strengthening resilience, exploring innovative defence solutions (such as anti-drone systems) and improving information sharing between European allies”. This support has already been put into practice, with French, German and British equipment and experts being sent to Belgium last week to deal with a number of drone overflights.
“We must work together systematically to counter hybrid threats and restore deterrence”, Ms Kallas stressed to the media.
“Russia is trying to divert attention from its own problems and shortcomings (...) while trying to make our societies insecure and frightened”, said the German minister, Boris Pistorius, adding that the countries had “responded with determination, unity and prudence” to Russian activities. And he added: “Our measures are proving effective both nationally and bilaterally, within the European Union and NATO”. Mr Pistorius said he was working with his British counterpart, John Healey, on the joint acquisition of cost-effective anti-drone defence systems. “We intend to present a substantial document, ready for signature, by the time of the next E5 meeting in Warsaw at the beginning of the year”, he explained.
The ministers also reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine and their desire to step up military support. In their statement, they also emphasise industrial cooperation with Ukraine and the integration of the Ukrainian defence industry into European initiatives and production chains. Mr Pistorius announced support for Ukraine of €11.5 billion in 2026 and a further contribution of €150 million to the PURL initiative.
The ministers also promised to “enable a greater European contribution to Euro-Atlantic security”. “A stronger NATO is a more European NATO”, explained Polish deputy minister Paweł Zalewski. “Our aim is to be proactive so that we can collectively deal with threats. This means strengthening NATO’s European GDP, improving coordination between the EU and NATO, and being able to assume our own responsibilities”, explained France’s Catherine Vautrin. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)