Defence: Five European Countries Meet in Paris to Send a Message to Russia

The defence ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom met in Paris on 26 October 2026. In a joint declaration, they called Russia the gravest and most enduring threat to Euro-Atlantic security and urged Europeans to take greater responsibility for their defence while emphasizing the importance of the US partnership in NATO. They reaffirmed political, military and financial support for Ukraine and called for a lasting peace backed by strong security guarantees. The EU’s 27 member states spent €418 billion on defence in 2025, with spending estimated at €454 billion in 2026.