Six takeaways from the European Political Community in Armenia

Armenia hosted on Monday the eighth meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), an all-inclusive format conceived in the early days of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

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The EPC is famously known for producing no formal written outcomes or binding agreements. Instead, leaders use the occasion for cosy bilaterals and photo-ops, which are then meticulously documented on their social media accounts.

Admittedly, there was plenty of that in Yerevan, but there was also substantive discussion that laid bare the turmoil and anxiety that the continent is going through.

Here are the six takeaways from the EPC in Armenia.

Merz’s glaring absence

Sometimes, summits are shaped as much by who is missing as by who is present.

As it happened, the biggest no-show was the most in-demand leader: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who currently finds himself at the centre of a geopolitical controversy after declaring that Iran had “humiliated” the United States in the war.

Furious over Merz’s brutally honest dig, US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of 5,000 American soldiersfrom Germany and threatened to raise tariffs on EU-made cars from 15%, as agreed under the trade deal, to 25%. The hike could further strain the already struggling German economy, which relies on automobile exports.

Merz has since been in damage control mode, denying any connection between his remarks about the war and Trump’s back-to-back announcements.

“I am not giving up on working on the transatlantic relationship,” Merz told the public broadcaster ARD. “Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump.”

In Yerevan, leaders carefully avoided statements that could escalate tensions.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Europeans had “gotten the message” about the “disappointment” of the White House, while High Representative Kaja Kallas said the continent was ready to step up its military contributions to common defence.

“The timing of this announcement comes as a surprise,” Kallas admitted. “I do not see into the head of President Trump, so he has to explain it himself.”

All about Mark

If Merz left a hole in the summit, his Canadian counterpart made sure to fill it.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s attendance marked the first time a non-European leader took part in an EPC meeting. The other heads of state and government seemed enthused about the addition, vying for face-to-face time with the former banker.

Relishing the attention, Carney positioned himself as the polar opposite of Trump. He defended a rules-based global order anchored in “freedom, rule of law, democracy (and) pluralism” and hailed a “common future” between Canada and Europe.

“We have to actively take on the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. We know nostalgia is not a strategy. But we don’t think that we’re destined to submit to a more transactional, insular and brutal world,” Carney said, echoing his speech earlier this year in Davos, where he pitched a coalition of mid-size powers to counter the US and China.

“It’s my strong personal view that the international order will be rebuilt, but it will be rebuilt out of Europe. And so I’m very appreciative of the symbolism of this invitation.”

Zelenksyy’s piece of advice

Russia’s war of aggression was the reason why the EPC was set up in the first place and, once again, featured heavily in the discussions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was busy holding bilateral meetings with Britain’s Keir Starmer, Finland’s Petteri Orpo, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre and Czechia’s Andrej Babiš, among others. He also held talks with Slovakia’s Robert Fico, with whom he was recently embroiled in a bitter dispute involving the Druzhba oil pipeline.

Zelenskyy asked to ramp up military support for his country’s army and open the first clusters of negotiations towards EU membership, which remains blocked by Hungary. He also urged leaders to oppose any sanctions relief for Russia, as the US has granted.

During the plenary session, Zelenskyy addressed a hot-button issue that has sharply split European capitals: the possibility of engaging in direct talks with the Kremlin.

“We need to find a workable diplomatic format, and Europe must be at the table in any talks with Russia,” he told the room.

“We’re in contact with the US, and we understand their views and positions, but it would be good to develop one common European voice for talks with Russia.”

Metsola hits back

For the most part, the EPC was all smiles, handshakes and pats on the back. But at one point during the morning session, tensions briefly surfaced in the room.

In his virtual address to leaders, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev launched a broadside attack against the European Parliament for spreading what he called “slander and lies” about his country. Aliyev denounced the Parliament for adopting 14 resolutions critical of Azerbaijan, describing the record as “a kind of obsession”.

Just before the host was about to close the debate and send leaders to lunch, European Parliament Robert Metsola asked for the floor to hit back at the accusations.

“The European Parliament is a directly elected democratic body with resolutions that are adopted by majority,” she said. “The outcome might be uncomfortable for some, but we will never change the way we work.”

Despite the tense episode, leaders celebrated the fact that Aliyev had agreed to speak, albeit virtually, at a summit in Armenia, given the violent history between the two countries. The two sides are currently implementing a peace deal signed in August 2025.

The cost of being dependent

A recurring theme in Yerevan was Europe’s painful and expensive dependencies, which came to the fore after Russia cut off gas supplies in 2022. The topic has taken on a new sense of urgency – and, arguably, panic – in light of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the ensuing disruption across energy markets.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said dependency on imports of fossil fuels made the entire bloc “vulnerable” to external shocks.

“Energy has always been a stumble stone in the internal market,” she said. “But now with the conflict in the Middle East, it has really become a chokepoint for us.”

Speaking by her side, French President Emmanuel Macron warned about economic dependency on China and called on the EU to speed up its “de-risking” strategy, which has been hampered by political divisions, through more “solidarity” and investment.

Macron was one of the few who dared mention the US by name.

“We are experiencing the cost of our overdependencies when we speak about the American umbrella in terms of defence and security,” he said.

“Let’s be honest: this is the elephant in the room.”

Leaders, however, attempted to dispel the impression that cracking down on expensive dependencies meant closing up shop to the outside world.

“European independence does not mean inward-looking. Not at all. It’s the opposite. It is reaching out to like-minded partners,” von der Leyen said.

Seeds of a reset

The EPC served as the backdrop for the EU and the UK to take a new step in their political reset after the turbulent aftermath of Brexit.

Von der Leyen and Starmer met on the sidelines to discuss London’s plan to participate in the €90 billion support loan for Ukraine that Brussels adopted last month.

The financial scheme, which is backed by common debt and expected to cost €3 billion in annual interest, leaves the door open for non-EU countries to benefit from military procurement. But there is one crucial condition: if you join, you chip in.

“The UK must commit to providing fair and proportionate financial contribution to the costs arising from borrowing, and that has to be proportionate to the value of contracts awarded to the entities established in the UK,” a Commission spokesperson said.

London and Brussels will now negotiate to determine the British contribution.

Both sides hope the success of those talks could pave the way for a new attempt regarding SAFE, the bloc’s €150 billion defence programme. The UK previously tried to join the initiative but balked at the proposal put forward by the Commission.

The reset is gaining pace ahead of the upcoming EU-UK summit.