The defence ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom have set out a shared approach to European security in a joint E5 statement following talks in Paris on 26 October. E5 is the working format that brings together those five countries. The document places a stronger European role within NATO at the centre of its stated direction, while stressing continued coordination with the United States and other Allies.
The ministers describe Russia as the most acute and long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security and stability. Their statement links that assessment to the continuing war against Ukraine, alleged violations of Allied airspace, sabotage and hybrid activity. These are the governments’ stated assessments of the security environment, rather than findings of a judicial process. The group also presents continued United States engagement as essential to a strong and credible NATO, alongside a larger role for European Allies.
Focus on capability and coordination
The statement commits the five countries to greater political and military leadership within the Alliance. Its practical themes are modernising forces and capabilities, improving readiness and resilience, and developing the capacity to respond to threats across different domains. It also calls for closer defence-industrial cooperation based on common and standardised requirements, an approach intended to make joint capability planning more consistent.
That is a shared political commitment, not an announcement of a new combined force, a procurement contract or a deployment. The document sets no equipment quantities, funding total, delivery timetable or command structure. It instead frames further work around NATO-agreed priorities and capability targets. The next measure of its significance will be whether individual governments translate the common language into specific programmes and decisions.
Europe inside NATO, with an EU role
The five ministers place NATO at the centre of collective security and say a stronger European capacity to act should be developed through several frameworks, including the European Union. Their stated model is nation-led and aligned with NATO. The European Union is presented as able to help countries meet defence capability requirements through its regulatory and financial tools, while avoiding duplication and allowing meaningful cooperation with non-EU NATO Allies where conditions permit.
This emphasis matters because it describes a division of work rather than a replacement for existing security arrangements. The statement advocates stronger European responsibility inside the Alliance while explicitly preserving the role of the United States and the existing responsibilities of national governments.
Ukraine commitments remain conditional in key areas
Support for Ukraine is a central part of the statement. The E5 countries commit to continue political, military and financial support and describe Ukraine’s ability to defend itself now and in the future as important to Euro-Atlantic collective security. They also restate an intention to counter activity associated with Russia’s shadow fleet in accordance with international law and with relevant partners.
The document supports a lasting peace underpinned by robust security guarantees. However, the stated role for the Coalition of the Willing is expressly tied to a future ceasefire or peace agreement. It is therefore not an announcement that such an agreement has been reached, nor that the guarantees are already in force. No ceasefire, settlement, operational mission or new aid package is set out in the joint text.
The wider Paris meeting also covered European security, ongoing support for Ukraine and the Middle East, including concerns around maritime routes and hybrid threats. The E5 statement itself is the clearest immediate outcome: a common set of priorities on capability, coordination and support for Ukraine, with the detailed decisions still to follow.
