Weimar+ | |
|---|---|
| February 2025(established) – present | |
![Inaugural meeting of foreign ministers, Paris, 12 February 2025 (with UA and EU included)[a]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWeimar%252B_meeting_(12.02.2025).jpg) | |
| Status | Operational: active |
| Type | Regional diplomatic and politicalalliance |
| Membership | Participants: |
| Leaders | |
| Emmanuel Macron[b] | |
| Establishment | 12 February 2025; 8 months ago (12 February 2025) |
| Historical era | 2020s European rearmament |
• Second Trump presidency (current tenure) | January 20, 2025 (2025-01-20) 280 days : January 20, 2029 (2029-01-20)−3 years, 2 months and 26 days' time |
| February 12, 2025 (2025-02-12) (inaugural, w/ Ukraine) February 12, 2025 (2025-02-12) February 14, 2025 (2025-02-14) (61stSecurity Conference, DE) | |
| February 17, 2025 (2025-02-17)(FR, inaugural extended)[c] March 2, 2025 (2025-03-02) (formed, first summit) | |
| March 31, 2025 (2025-03-31) (first hosted by Spain) May 6, 2025 (2025-05-06) (formed)[d] May 8, 2025 (2025-05-08) (foreign ministerial)[e][1] | |
| May 12, 2025 (2025-05-12) (London, first hosted byGB) May 16, 2025 (2025-05-16), Albania May 19, 2025 (2025-05-19) (formed,EU–UK first summit)[f] | |
| June 12, 2025 (2025-06-12) (first Italy- hosted, w/UA) July 10–11, 2025 (2025-07-10 –2025-07-11) (first Italy-hosted) | |
| August 6, 2025 (2025-08-06) (PL, following president inauguration events) August 18, 2025 (2025-08-18) (US-DC,White House) | |
| October 1–2, 2025 (2025-10-01 –2025-10-02) (Denmark, Copenhagen, concurrent w/ Summit) | |
| Today part of |
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Footnotes
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Weimar+[name 1] is aEuropeandiplomatic and geopolitical alliance first named in February 2025, expanding upon the originalWeimar Triangle regional alliance ofFrance,Germany, andPoland (all within theEuropean Union) to include additional major European powers such as theUnited Kingdom andItaly. The group was immediately established in response to shifts inUnited States foreignpolicy towards the ongoingRusso-Ukrainian War and thetransatlantic security architecture under theTrump administration, particularlyUnited States presidentDonald Trump's telephoneconversation withRussian presidentVladimir Putin excluding Europe fromUkraine-related negotiations.
As of July 2025[update], Weimar+ exists in the form ofSummits between the leaders of the six countries and EU, and, separately, of their foreign ministers and EUHRVP.
The Weimar+ group was established as an expansion of the Weimar Triangle (France, Germany, and Poland) to include the United Kingdom,Italy,Spain, and theEuropean Commission as participants, with foreign ministers serving as primary representatives.[4][5] Unlike its coordinate-parent organisation, the expanded format includes both EU members and theUnited Kingdom.[6][7]
The group's exigent inaugural meeting on 12 February 2025 inParis was in response to rapid developments inUnited States-led peace initiatives regarding theRusso-Ukrainian War, primarilyUnited States presidentDonald Trump's telephone conversation the day before[8] withRussian presidentVladimir Putin.Foreign Minister of FranceJean-Noël Barrot stated during the meeting that without European involvement, there would be "no just and lasting peace in Ukraine".Spanish foreign ministerJosé Manuel Albares expressed that European governments needed "unity" towards sustaining Ukraine position to be part of the negotiations.[4]
The group made its first public statement under the Weimar+ name following the meeting, written in direct response to President Donald Trump's insistence that neither European nor Ukrainian delegates would be involved innegotiations to end the conflict.[9][10] The joint declaration affirmed continued European support for Ukraine until the achievement of a "just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace", with or without the United States. The group specifically emphasised that any peace agreement must protect both Ukrainian and broader European security interests. They also asserted the necessity of European participation in any negotiation process concerning Ukraine's future, and that negotiations must put Ukraine "in a position of strength". The statement mentioned the possibility of increased military spending among European nations to promoting the sovereignty of Europe as a power that could geopolitically operate independently of the United States.[4]
On 15 February,French presidentEmmanuel Macron announced a high-level diplomatic summit for 17 February 2025 under Weimar+.[5] The emergency summit[11] was arranged atElysee Palace in Paris followingUnited States vice presidentJD Vance'scontroversial speech at the 61stMunich Security Conference, accusing European leaders ofdemocratic backsliding and restrictingfreedom of speech mainly regarding the annulment of the2024 Romanian presidential election, increasedsocial media regulation, and prosecution regardingsafe access zones and speech regarding religion.[12][13][14]Prime Minister of GreeceKyriakos Mitsotakis called the Weimar+ summit a marker of the end of Europe's "age of innocence" operating under American geopolitical interests, and an opportunity to rapidly prioritize its own "strategic autonomy" under a united framework. He agreed to communicate with its representatives.[15]
Joint Declaration of the group's foreign ministers and EU's HRVP was adopted at the 31 March 2025, Madrid meeting.[16]
On 12 May, theUK hosted talks of the Weimar+ group foreign ministers focused on Ukraine and the future of European security atLancaster House in London.[17] Following the meeting, Weimar+ Joint Statement on Ukraine andEuro-Atlantic security was issued[18]
On 12 June,Italy hosted the group's foreign ministers in Rome, joined by their counterpart fromUkraine,NATO Secretary GeneralMark Rutte and theEU High Commissioner,Kaja Kallas.[19] "We reiterated our readiness to step up our pressure on Russia as it continues to refuse serious and credible commitments, including through further sanctions and countering their circumvention," the foreign ministers' statement said.[20]
The August 2025 Weimar+ ministerial was convened inWarsaw, Poland, on 6 August 2025, coinciding with the inauguration of PresidentKarol Nawrocki. The symbolism of holding the meeting in Poland was twofold: Poland’s position as a frontline state in regional security and its new presidency’s alignment with European engagement in defence. Polish media referenced the joint “declaration of intent” emerging from the ministerial, framing it as both a practical and symbolic guarantee of Poland’s role in Europe’s security renaissance.[21]
The October Weimar+ ministerial was hosted alongside the high-profile7th European Political Community Summit (EPC) in Copenhagen. The two-day sequence began with an informal European Council session focused on defence readiness, followed by the EPC plenary and roundtables. Media coverage emphasizes unprecedented summit security, leaders’ unity against Russian provocations, and major steps on EU joint defence.
Where August ministerial centered on the immediate operational and strategic imperatives of theBlack Sea, the October agenda reflected systemic EU transformation in defence-Readiness 2030, multi-level sanctions enforcement, and direct inclusion ofUkraine as both security beneficiary and partner.[22] Both meetings includedUkrainian cabinet officials.
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