WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Germany and Poland were set to sign a new defense agreement on Wednesday, putting aside their complicated past to strengthen European military cooperation at a time of heightened tension with Russia and growing uncertainty over U.S. engagement in Europe.
Relations between the two neighbors in recent years have become more pragmatic in the wake of Russia’s full‑scale war on Ukraine in 2022 and the coming to power of a liberal government in Poland in 2023.
As the U.S. weighs a partial drawdown of its military presence in Europe, Poland is keen to ensure that major European allies take a greater role in defending the continent’s eastern flank.
Germany is seeking partners as it moves to revitalize its military, the Bundeswehr, after decades of neglect with ambitions to build the strongest conventional army on NATO’s European side — an effort that will make it a central pillar of European defense in the years ahead.
Poland’s importance as a logistics hub for Ukraine, alongside its growing economy and heavy defense investment, has made it a compelling partner for Germany and other core European countries.
“We Germans need a strong Poland as an equal partner,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin after meeting with liberal Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in December. “This is in our fundamental interest.”
The defense agreement is to include plans for protecting the Baltic Sea region and details about cooperation on military mobility and infrastructure, cyber defense and new technologies.
The two countries are irreversibly tied by NATO’s defense plans, which give Germany a key role in the defense of the Baltic region, together with Poland and other countries in the central and eastern European region, said Justyna Gotkowska, deputy director of the Warsaw-based think tank Center for Eastern Studies.
“Germany is largely responsible for the defense of the Baltic states and without cooperation with Poland, that will not happen,” Gotkowska said.
The Baltic countries are often referred to as the most likely target for Russia if it were to attack NATO territory in the future.
The agreement is expected to reaffirm the mutual defense obligations set out in NATO and European Union treaties, to which both countries are parties.
However, unlike bilateral treaties each has signed with France and the United Kingdom in recent years, the Polish-German agreement is inter-ministerial, focused on the practical aspects of military cooperation and does not include political mutual defense declarations that the bilateral treaties do.
When asked in June by Polish Radio Trojka why Poland is not signing a similar treaty with Germany, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that President Karol Nawrocki, who came to power with the support of the national-conservative Law and Justice party, would never agree to that.
“Hell would break loose here” if a German-Polish treaty was signed, Sikorski said.
When Law and Justice was in power, the government demanded $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany because of its World War II occupation of Poland — a demand Berlin has rejected.
The topic is likely to resurface ahead of next year's general election, and Tusk will seek to avoid appearing soft or serving Berlin's interests. Tusk himself has demanded that Germany move faster to compensate surviving victims of the occupation.
On Tuesday, Polish far-right leader Robert Bąkiewicz and several companions from a movement opposing immigration were briefly detained in Berlin after attempting to stage a demonstration in front of a monument to Polish victims of World War II, holding a large cross.
Despite Poland's rising importance in Europe's security architecture, Germany has preferred to make major decisions on Ukraine or Iran together with key Western European allies France and the U.K. only, leaving Warsaw aside.
On June 7, the three Western European countries received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London, discussing the role they might play in potential future peace negotiations with Russia.
Tusk said at a news conference in Warsaw after the London meeting that he had complained to Merz that Poland should be part of the discussion about the future of Ukraine and the region. “Any arrangements made without our participation will not be respected or binding for us,” Tusk said.
Rolf Nikel, a former German ambassador to Poland and vice president of the German Council on Foreign Relations, said Poland's role and significance within Europe and NATO have grown.
“So Poland must be taken more seriously today and, above all, must be respected more than we have seen in the past,” Nikel said.
Gotkowska, from the Center for Eastern Studies, said that Germany needs to recognize that its economy has stagnated while Poland's economy and military strength have risen.
“The balance of power has changed in Europe in recent years," Gotkowska said.
Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber and Kerstin Sopke in Berlin contributed to this report.
FILE - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomes Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the Chancellery in Berlin on Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Maryam Majd, File)
Leaders at the Group of Seven summit wrap up three days of talks in the French Alps on Wednesday with discussions on the contentious future of artificial intelligence and U.S. dominance of the industry.
U.S. President Donald Trump and other national leaders are closing the formal talks of the leading industrial nations in the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains with a session on the future of artificial intelligence and another on fostering economic growth.
The heads of several leading AI companies will attend the discussions, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.
Trump plans to stop outside Paris for a glitzy dinner at the Palace of Versailles before he jets back to Washington on Wednesday.
The G7 leaders spent the bulk of the meetings Tuesday discussing the war between Russia and Ukraine and a tentative deal to end the Iran war. Trump did not reveal details of the agreement expected to be signed by the United States and Iran on Friday at a resort on Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne.
The G7 includes France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Guest nations at this summit include Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.
Here is the latest:
Trump offered a round of applause for Macron at the beginning of the G7 session on global economic imbalances, saying the French president is “doing great” and paying tribute to the Evian summit’s organisation, a diplomat informed of the talks said.
An AP reporter close to the meeting’s room was able to hear the applause.
A senior French diplomatic official later described the Evian gathering as “the best G7” in years, citing the quality of informal exchanges among leaders. The official said those discussions helped secure endorsement from all G7 members, including Trump, of a joint statement on key geopolitical issues, including the Middle East and Ukraine.
Officials would not speak publicly about the leader’s talks that were behind closed doors.
High-profile AI industry figures will take part in a rare huddle with political leaders on the meeting’s final day.
The leaders of three of the world’s most powerful AI companies — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei — were due to attend a working lunch on the theme of “Ensuring a safe, rapid and effective deployment of artificial intelligence.”
European AI labs were represented by Arthur Mensch, CEO of France’s Mistral AI; Robin Rombach, CEO of Germany’s Black Forest Labs, Victor Riperbelli of U.K.-based Synthesia and Uljan Sharma, CEO of Italy’s Domyn.
Other AI founders joining the lunch include Aidan Gomez, CEO of Canada’s Cohere, Ren Ito, the founder of Japan’s Sakana AI, Vivek Raghavan of India’s Sarvam AI. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was also taking part.
That was his opening phrase as he walked in — late — to the first session of the day at the G7 summit.
The room laughed, and Trump grinned. After exchanging niceties with the U.S. president, Macron then got the meeting underway.
G7 leaders were to discuss concerns that China is flooding export markets with subsidized products, unfairly out-competing their own industries and destroying jobs. They gathered for a session focusing on “promoting balanced, shared and sustainable economic growth” alongside partners including leaders of India, South Korea, Kenya and Brazil.
Talks come as China is redirecting its products away from the U.S. tariff wall and toward more open markets in Europe and elsewhere in Asia.
The shift in Chinese trade risks creating a European sequel to the China Shock that wiped out hundreds of thousands of factory jobs in the American heartland in the 2000s. Despite U.S. sanctions, China notched a record global trade surplus last year.
Leaders of France, the UK, Italy, Germany and Canada have gathered for informal talks ahead of a G7 session on global economic imbalances, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said.
They then joined the meeting involving partners including India, South Korea, Kenya and India.
Keir Starmer says he isn’t sure whether Trump has made a decision about whether to reimpose sanctions on Russian oil.
The British leader says he talked to Trump about the temporary U.S. sanctions waiver.
Starmer told British broadcaster ITV he and Trump had “a very constructive discussion about Ukraine,” but “I don’t know that a decision has been made yet.”
He said G7 leaders shared “a real determination to stand with Ukraine,” including through more sanctions on Russia.
Trump said on Wednesday that he’s delaying Jay Clayton’s nomination to lead the U.S. intelligence community in a bid to force Congress to act on a voter ID bill that currently lacks enough support for passage.
Trump said in a lengthy post on his social media site that he will keep Bill Pulte, a top U.S. housing official, as acting director of national intelligence. Lawmakers in both parties had opposed Trump’s nomination of Pulte, citing his apparent lack of experience in the intelligence field, which essentially forced Trump to turn to Clayton.
Clayton had been set to appear on Wednesday for a Senate confirmation hearing that was fast-tracked because of the lapse of a crucial surveillance program due to bipartisan anger over Trump’s pick of Pulte.
Carney did not get a bilateral meeting with Trump at the summit, despite the free trade agreement between the countries being up for renewal on July 1.
Carney says he had seven or eight discussions with Trump and he expects to have more Wednesday.
He says they discussed a wide range of subjects, from the economy, relations, his birthday, artificial intelligence, Ukraine and Iran.
Canadian prime ministers usually get a bilateral meeting with an American president at G7 summits. And it is a crucial time for talks to potentially renew the free-trade agreement between the two countries and Mexico. Trump said last week that he may not renew the deal.
Macron is the only G7 leader to get a bilateral meeting thus far. Trump met with the leaders of non-G7 countries of Qatar, UAE, Egypt and India.
The expansive palace is where he’ll have dinner with Macron before the flight back to Washington.
At the final day of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, Trump is set to participate in working sessions with his counterparts from France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan, alongside leaders from some developing nations and tech CEOs.
In between sessions, he’ll hold one-on-one talks with Egypt’s president and India’s prime minister.
Trump is also holding a news conference before the trip to Versailles.
G7 leaders said in a joint statement overnight they would increase military support for Ukraine after recent “progress on the battlefield.”
They also plan to levy harsher sanctions on Russia’s energy sector in the wake of the recent deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
They plan to give more air defense technology including interceptors and grant military production licenses to Ukraine.
Kyiv has sought the permits to construct their own Patriot missiles.
Carney says a tentative deal to end the Iran war could be a game changer in the world.
The Canadian prime minister, speaking on the final day of the summit, said the agreement could have positive effects including the ability to provide additional defensive support in Ukraine.
Carney said here has been a change in tone concerning Ukraine, which was discussed in detail at the summit on Tuesday.
Many countries are vested in making the Iran deal work, he said.
Leaders gathered at the G7 summit issued a joint statement overnight Tuesday on the agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran focused on securing safe passage without tolls in the Persian Gulf.
“We reaffirm that the right of transit passage without restrictions or tolls is the bedrock of international trade,” said the statement of leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Iran floated a similar idea in April to fund reconstruction of areas in the country damaged by war.
The closure of the strait has driven up fuel and fertilizer costs and rattled economies worldwide.
The statement also offered support to a French and British-led naval mission to the Persian Gulf to safeguard ships and remove mines from one of the crucial choke-points in the world’s energy supply chain.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gave U.S. President Donald Trump a present for his 80th birthday, but said it’s “not gold.”
Trump was “very pleased,” Carney said, adding that he “likes it a lot.”
Carney didn’t specify what the gift was and a spokesperson for the prime minister didn’t immediately know.
Trump is known for his love of gold. An Oval Office makeover at the start of his term included large amounts of fresh gold trim.
Trump and Carney have a positive relationship despite Trump’s previous comments about making Canada the 51st state of the United States.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, second from left, and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, second from right, arrive for a group photo at the G7 summit, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and others gather for a group photo at the G7 summit, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump helps France's first lady Brigitte Macron up a step as she arrives for a group photo with leaders and their spouses at the G7 summit, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to attend a musical interlude before a gala dinner as part of the G7 summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday June 16, 2026. (Ludovic MARIN/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. President Donald Trump walks after posing for a family photo photograph during a gala dinner as part of the G7 summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday June 16, 2026. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
