On Friday, November 14, 2025, Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Zalewski took part in Berlin in a meeting of the defense ministers of the E5 Group, also known as the Group of Five. He represented Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz at the event.
Photo: Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany
On Friday at the Bendlerblock, the headquarters of the German Ministry of Defence, a meeting was held with representatives of Poland, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy, with the participation of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. In the second part of the talks, held remotely, Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal joined the meeting.
“Today, I would like to invite all of you to the next meeting of our Group next year. Our meeting today is already the sixth in this format, held among the defense ministers of five countries that make a significant contribution to the defense of our continent. This is extremely important, and I am very pleased that we also have the High Representative, Ms. Kaja Kallas, with us. The scale of the challenges is enormous. The tasks facing the European Union are enormous, and the EU is creating the right framework to address them. For almost four years, we have been dealing with a brutal Russian attack on Ukraine. We can also clearly see the growing intensity of hybrid attacks on European states. We are addressing these issues together. We are deeply convinced – something we confirmed again today – that Europe’s security is our shared responsibility, and that Europe’s security line runs here, along the front. This is why support for Ukraine is so crucial. This is why the discussion with Minister Shmyhal was so important. We talked about projects aimed at further supporting Ukraine. It is extremely important that we continue to act together. We must remain unwavering in our support for Ukraine. This applies to military equipment, financing, and political support. All of this is of great importance,” Deputy Minister Paweł Zalewski emphasized.
“We want to ensure Ukraine’s participation in the SAFE project – an important European tool that, on one hand, strengthens the foundations of Europe’s security through the development of the defense industry in Europe, and on the other hand provides practical solutions such as deliveries of military equipment to European states. We want Ukraine to participate in this project. Poland has the ambition to be the largest beneficiary of this project. We want to launch an investment plan worth 40 billion euros and aim to implement it by the end of the month. We want cooperation to include Ukrainian companies as well. We want to develop joint-venture projects between Poland and Ukraine on Polish territory. This is intended to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities. It is also very important that we act together to ensure security against hybrid attacks. I am very grateful to all those who want to increase their contribution in this area. This concerns the Eastern Sentry and Baltic Sentry activities. We are very grateful for the presence of the armed forces of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy in Poland. This presence strengthens the eastern flank and increases the security of our entire continent. We also discussed strengthening NATO. We all share the conviction that a strong NATO means a European NATO. The President of the United States has placed this responsibility on us, rightly expecting that the role of European countries within NATO will be strengthened. (…) Another key point is the Coalition of the Willing. We want to maintain our engagement. The Coalition is ready to act if a ceasefire is reached in Ukraine, but we see very clearly that President Putin has no interest in this,” State Secretary of the Ministry of National Defense Paweł Zalewski said during the press conference.
The GoF format was initiated a year ago by Germany’s Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius. Since then, several meetings have been held, including in January in Warsaw and in September in London, where the countries condemned the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones on September 10 of this year (Polish Military Counterintelligence Investigates Russian Gerbera Drones That Violated Polish Airspace).
The defense ministers’ discussions focus on efforts to strengthen security in Europe and the situation in Ukraine. They also cover cooperation between defense industries, the interoperability of armed forces, and the coordination of defense policy in Europe.
The meeting in Berlin is a continuation of the close cooperation among the E5/GoF Group countries, aimed at enhancing European security and strengthening the defense capabilities of member states, with full support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.
Previous meetings of the E5 Group took place in Berlin (November 25, 2024), Warsaw (January 13, 2025), Paris (March 12, 2025), and Rome (May 16, 2025).
Joint Statement by the Defense Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom
Group of Five European Defense Ministers
November 14, 2025
A Year of Deepening Cooperation: Strengthening European Defense
A year ago, on November 25, 2024, in Berlin, the Defense Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom established the Group of Five European Defense Ministers to support closer cooperation and accelerate action on critical defense and security challenges facing Europe in light of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening Europe’s defense and set out the next steps in our work.
Achievements in the First Year of the Group of Five European Defense Ministers
The first year of the Group of Five European Defense Ministers brought significant progress in several key areas:
i. Regular and strengthened dialogue: We established a regular forum for open and substantive ministerial-level exchanges on strategic priorities, emerging threats, and operational challenges. This dialogue has been consistently communicated and coordinated with our NATO Allies and European Union partners, reinforcing the broader European security architecture.
ii. Enhancing the capacity of the European defense industry: The Group of Five actively promoted an ambitious approach to reducing bureaucracy and streamlining national and European procurement procedures to stimulate growth, innovation, efficiency, and interoperability within our defense industries. Recognizing Europe’s most urgent capability needs, we welcome EU efforts to simplify actions to increase defense readiness, including through the development of the EU Defence Readiness Omnibus Simplification Act, which streamlines procedures and boosts the effectiveness of EU defense cooperation complementing NATO’s efforts. We agreed to cooperate within initiatives aimed at jointly supporting the European defense industry, including in the selection and acquisition of capabilities.
iii. Strengthening Ukraine’s defense industrial base: Recognizing the impressive contribution of Ukraine’s defense industry to the country’s fight against Russian aggression, as well as its long-term importance for a sovereign Ukraine, the Group of Five prioritized support for Ukraine’s defense industrial capabilities.
This included:
- Facilitating joint ventures between European and Ukrainian companies to establish production facilities in Ukraine to supply urgently needed weapons and equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
- Promoting the exchange of relevant expertise between the Ukrainian defense sector and European industry, supporting innovation and the implementation of best practices based on Ukraine’s battlefield experience.
- Encouraging direct investment in Ukraine’s defense capabilities.
- Investing in and supporting the development of production facilities in Ukraine by European companies.
- Supporting alignment between Ukrainian and European industrial interests and the long-term integration of Ukrainian firms into the European defense industrial base.
Next Steps – Future Areas of Cooperation for the Group of Five European Defense Ministers
The Group of Five remains fully committed to strengthening European defense. We will continue to prioritize the following areas:
i. Continued support for Ukraine: Our ongoing support for Ukraine will remain a central pillar of our work. Our efforts will focus on:
- Providing maximum support to Ukraine through military assistance, including within the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
- Developing long-term strategic frameworks for security assistance and industrial cooperation with Ukraine.
- Integrating the Ukrainian defense industry into European initiatives and production chains.
- Demonstrating firm commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security.
ii. Strengthening defense and operational readiness: We will enable a greater European contribution to Euro-Atlantic security by focusing on meeting NATO capability targets and increasing industrial production within the defense sector to boost readiness and responsiveness of European armed forces. We will strive to maximize the use of EU and NATO initiatives, including those under the Defence Production Action Plan and the Rapid Adoption Action Plan, and fully employ mechanisms that meet NATO capability needs. Ensuring the broadest possible involvement of non-EU Allies in EU defense efforts remains essential.
iii. Countering hybrid threats: We will intensify cooperation to counter hybrid threats targeting Allies, including challenges related to drones, cyberattacks, and disinformation. This will include strengthening resilience, seeking innovative defense solutions (such as counter-drone systems), and improving information-sharing among European Allies.
iv. Supporting stability in Europe: The Group of Five remains committed to ensuring the integrity of the Western Balkans and supports the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of countries in the region. We are convinced that continued cooperation and joint engagement in support of European security and defense—including a free and advancing Ukraine—will enable the Group of Five European Defense Ministers to contribute meaningfully to greater security and better protection for Europe.
Dziś w #Berlin odbywa się spotkanie ministrów obrony Grupy E5🇵🇱🇮🇹🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪. Wicepremiera W. @KosiniakKamysz na rozmowach reprezentuje wiceminister @ZalewskiPawel.
Około godz. 13.15, po zakończeniu spotkania, planowana jest konferencja prasowa.
🎥Link do transmisji…
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) November 14, 2025
14 listopada br. w Berlinie wiceminister @ZalewskiPawel reprezentował wicepremiera W. @KosiniakKamysz w trakcie spotkania Europejskiej Grupy 5 Ministrów Obrony (E5) z udziałem ministra obrony Ukrainy oraz Wysokiej Przedstawicielki UE ds. Zagranicznych i Polityki Bezpieczeństwa.…
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) November 14, 2025
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