Tuesday 05 / May / 2026
Yerevan: Armenia is hosting leaders from across Europe and beyond in the capital, Yerevan, for a summit of the European Political Community.
It is the first such meeting of Western allies since the US announced plans to withdraw troops from Germany.
The European Politicial Community (EPC) is compromised of 44 member states, including all EU member countries as well as non-EU nations in Europe, Turkey, and some countries in the Caucasus.
Several other world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, are attending as guests.
It was founded in 2022 in reaction the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The format is for high-level talks and debate, not to make binding agreements.
This most recent meeting is expected to focus on defense amidst the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran, as well as the threat of energy insecurity these global conflicts pose.
As the group meets in Armenia, shoring up democracy in that country and supporting its peace process with Azerbaijan is also on the agenda.
Rutte, Macron, and von der Leyen react to US troop withdrawal from Europe
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said at the opening of the EPC summit that Europe has "heard" Washington's frustration over its conflict with Iran and are "stepping up."
"European leaders have gotten the message. They heard the message loud and clear," Rutte said, acknowledging "disappointment on the US side" on European nations' resistance to joining the war.
His comments came shortly after President Donald Trump announced a major withdrawal of US troops from Germany — which was itself seemingly prompted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the US was being "humilitated" by Iran.
"Europeans are stepping up, a bigger role for Europe and a stronger NATO," Rutte added.
French President Emmanuel Macron also addressed the troop drawback, saying that Europe needed to learn to live without depending on the US for defense.
"Europeans are taking their destiny into their own hands, increasing their defence and security spending, and building their own common solutions," the French leader said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed Macron's sentiments, saying "we have to step up our military capabilities to be able to defend and protect ourselves."
The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas called Trump's move a "surprise", but said there had been talk of a wind-down for US troops for some time.
UK's Starmer admits 'tension' with US over Iran
Speaking at an EPC plenary session, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged the heightened "tension" between the gathered leaders and Washington over Europe's reluctance to participate in the war with Iran.
"We cannot deny that some of the alliances that we have come to rely on are not in the place we would want them to be," the prime minister said, adding that "there is more tension in the alliances than there should be and it's very important that we therefore face up to this as a group of countries together."
While the relationship between Starmer and President Trump started off on a positive note, it has soured in recent weeks over Starmer's initial refusal to let the US military use British bases for its strikes on Iran.
Separately, Starmer said he was committed to taking part in the European Union's planned €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine, recently approved after the election defeat of Moscow-friendly Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary.
"The leaders discussed the European Union’s £78 billion loan to Ukraine, and the prime minister underlined the opportunity the UK’s involvement would bring for both Ukraine and European security," a spokesperson for the prime minister said.
