E5 defense ministers mull strengthening arms industry

Defense ministers from Poland, Germany, France, Britain and Italy, the so-called "European Five" (E5) gathered in Poland on Monday for a meeting to talk about the development of the arms industry and support for Ukraine.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that 2025 is a decisive year for European security, regardless of changes in the United States administration. "We have no time to waste when it comes to strengthening the European pillar of NATO," he said.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that the meeting allowed for "work to begin" on, among other things, the issue of European Union (EU) member states spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense.

The British armed forces minister Luke Pollard also recalled the need to focus more on increasing European countries' defense spending.

The E5 group consists of the defense ministers of Poland, Germany, France, Italy and Britain, the European countries that allocate the most funds for defense for NATO.

(Cover: Boris Pistorius, German defense minister, speaks at the handover of the first RCH 155 wheeled howitzer as weapons aid for Ukraine, January 13, 2025. /CFP)