BERLIN: The leaders of Europe's top military powers will meet on Wednesday in Berlin to discuss the Ukraine conflict and an upcoming Nato summit, the German government said. Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to host the leaders of France, Britain, Italy and Poland, a spokesman said on Monday, adding that the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had not changed those plans. "We'll stick to our plan and carry on as we have been doing over the past few days," government spokesman Stefan Kornelius told a regular press briefing.
Nato chief Mark Rutte is set to join the talks via video link. The meeting is due to start at 4:45 pm (14:45 GMT) and a joint press conference is planned for 18:00 GMT. "The focus of the meeting... is preparation for the Nato summit in Ankara on July 7 and 8 and of course the attack on Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East," said Kornelius.
A European Union official said EU chief Antonio Costa's office had made "brief contacts at diplomatic level" with Moscow aimed at opening communication channels. But some EU states have been wary about reaching out to the Kremlin, with diplomats saying several leaders pushed backed against Costa's efforts at last week's EU summit in Brussels. — AFP
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