Leaders of Germany, France, and Poland discuss strengthening EU after Trump NATO comments

The foreign ministers of the long-dormant regional Weimar Triangle alliance met on Monday in the Paris suburb of La Celle-Saint-Cloud. The leaders issued a joint statement saying they sought to address security concerns and increase European unity in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its aggression towards NATO members. The leaders accused Russia of targeting their countries with “hybrid actions,” “disinformation,” “cyber attacks,” and “political interference.” The foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle plan to reconvene this summer and meet with top leaders of Ukraine.

What prompted the meeting? The meeting took place against the backdrop of comments made by former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally over the weekend. Trump recounted a conversation he had in which he allegedly told NATO allies that he would allow Russia to “do whatever…they want” to NATO members who did not, in Trump’s view, spend enough money on defense. During the Weimar Alliance meeting on Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared to rebuke the former president without mentioning him by name, calling any minimization of NATO’s support guarantee “irresponsible and dangerous.”

What specific initiatives do they hope to achieve? The leaders listed detailed policies that they aimed to enact. Those included more stringent sanctions toward Russia, paving the way for Ukraine to join the European Union, and increasing Europe’s military interconnectedness and spending.

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s report in WORLD Magazine about Armenia’s forgotten war.