IDM Short Insight 44: The Weimar Triangle – A Key Format for Europe?

Here is everything you need to know about the Weimar Triangle!

Sebastian Schäffer, Malwina Talik and Romain LeQuiniou were at Café Kyiv 2025, and are diving into the rebirth of the Weimar Triangle—a crucial alliance between Germany, France, and Poland. Originally formed in 1991 to support Poland’s Euro-Atlantic integration, this minilateral format is now gaining new relevance, fueled by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Why is the Weimar Triangle back on the agenda? How will Germany’s new government shape its role? What does this mean for Poland’s influence in Europe? Can this alliance evolve into a security pillar for Europe, even without the U.S.?

While some argue the revival is more talk than action, others see soft power diplomacy as a tool to counter today’s biggest challenges. Could a “Weimar Plus” format—including the UK—be the key to Europe’s future security?

Transcript:

So, us three, we are here at Cafe Kyiv 2025 talking about the Weimar Triangle. The Weimar Triangle was founded in 1991. One of its goals was to facilitate the euroatlantic integration of Poland. Since 2022 there is a rebirth of the Weimar Triangle, mainly explained by the full-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine. And I think that the idea is also to reengage Poland and to have better relations between the three countries. 

I think the German position will have to be defined when the actual new government is there. But I see lot of potential to repair some of the damage that was done through the last administration in working together with France and Poland as the new government might align much more with what the other two countries are standing for in the Weimar Triangle. 

For Poland, the Weimar Triangle is a very prestigious, minilateral format, which allows Poland to have more impact on European politics, but also to amplify the voice of countries coming from Central and Eastern Europe, to make sure that some warnings are being heard and not fall on deaf ears. 

For France, the objective is dual. On one side, it is about reengaging with Germany without having a relationship that is only with Berlin but also in a trilateral meeting. And this is also about having the possibility to reengage with Poland and mostly with Central Eastern Europe. 

There is today a rebirth of the Weimar Triangle and this is great for Europe and for the three countries, but we cannot hide the fact that for the moment there is declaration, but there are no actions. I see it a little bit different. I believe that in the current form the Weimar Triangle has a strong diplomatic power, soft power that even in times when hard measures seem to matter more, still may have an impact. Maybe there is even a chance to utilise this minilateral format to actually counter the prime challenge of nowadays. Namely to, within a Weimar Plus format, also engage the United Kingdom, provide the necessary structures to find defence and to coordinate defence in Europe that is in the foreseeable future at least no longer organised with the United States as it seems.