Tag Archives: NATO

‘Stop fuelling Kyiv’s militaristic sentiment,’ Russia says, after Ankara’s pledge to support Ukraine in recent clash. Russia’s foreign minister on Monday warned Turkey against what he said were attempts to fuel “militaristic sentiment” in Ukraine after Ankara moved to boost cooperation with Kyiv. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month …

Poland will buy 24 armed drones from Turkey, the Polish defense minister said on Saturday, becoming the first NATO member to buy Turkish-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Bayraktar TB2 drones, the first of which are due to be delivered next year, will be armed with anti-tank projectiles. Poland will …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday warned Western countries against staking claims in the Arctic ahead of this week’s Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik. The Arctic in recent years has become the site of geopolitical competition between the countries that form the Arctic Council (Russia, the United States, Canada, …

China has called on the United States to give a full clarification on its bio-military activities at home and abroad, which is a matter of concern shared by Russia and others. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday that it was necessary for …

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was under growing pressure on Sunday with rival protests due to converge on the capital a week after a contested presidential election that has thrown his country into turmoil. Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, has faced down a week of street demonstrations and refused demands …

The French military conducted training exercises with Greek forces off the southern island of Crete on Thursday, defence sources said, as tension persisted with Turkey over disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean. Thursday’s exercise was the first manifestation of French President Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to temporarily reinforce his country’s presence …

NATO announced that it is seeking to hold a virtual meeting through the television circle with the relevant Iraqi authorities in August. A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that AlghdeerTV received a copy of it, stated that, the Iraqi Ambassador in Brussels Sadiq Al-Rikabi met in his office …

France’s president on Thursday said it would be a serious error by the European Union to not respond to provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean and said he wanted more sanctions on those who violated Greek and Cypriot maritime space. Emmanuel Macron’s comments come after Turkey’s navy on Tuesday issued an …

Turkey on Wednesday rejected claims by Greece that its oil-and-gas research vessels were encroaching on Greek waters in the eastern Mediterranean and said it would continue to defend its legitimate rights and interests in the region. A Foreign Ministry statement, however, also renewed a call by Ankara for dialogue to …

When two countries who are supposed to be military allies fall out and almost get themselves into a shooting match, you know there’s going to be trouble ahead. The problem for NATO is, this time, it may prove terminal. For a story that involves high seas skullduggery, clandestine gun-running, a …

An adviser to the director of Russia’s state space corporation has been detained on treason charges, the nation’s top security agency said Tuesday. Ivan Safronov, a former journalist who served as an adviser to Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin, was detained in Moscow by agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB), …

The festering dispute between France and Turkey over a naval standoff in the Mediterranean Sea has shone a glaring searchlight on NATO’s struggle to keep order among its ranks and exposed weaknesses in a military alliance that can only take action by consensus. The dispute has also revealed NATO’s limits …

A spokesperson for the Turkish Justice and Development Party Omar Glick accused France of participating in the mass graves crimes carried out by the militias of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who is supported by Paris. Glick pointed out that France is complicit in the mass grave crimes by supporting Haftar …

France is temporarily pulling out of a NATO naval operation in the Mediterranean, in a move that indicates there was not enough support from the alliance following an aggressive encounter with Turkish ships last month. French Ambassador to NATO Muriel Domenach sent a letter on Tuesday to NATO Secretary-General Jens …

Turkey’s ambassador to France on Wednesday said that Paris had informed NATO it was suspending its involvement in a naval operation in the Mediterranean after a probe into an incident between French and Turkish warships did not back Paris’ claims. Ties between NATO allies France and Turkey have soured in …

The “liberation” of Sirte and Jufra from Khalifa Haftar’s forces has become “more urgent than ever” for Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) following the deployment of mercenaries in the country, the United Nations-recognised government’s army spokesperson said. In a statement on Saturday, Muhammad Qanunu said “Sirte was the most …

A Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to militants in Afghanistan for killing coalition forces — including targeting American troops, according to a report Friday. The revelations, from American intelligence officials — reported by The New York Times — came as the US, Taliban militants and the Afghan government …

American and Russian negotiators have concluded a round of nuclear arms control talks in Vienna, aimed at producing a new agreement to replace the New START treaty that expires in February — the last remaining pact constraining the arsenals of the world’s two major nuclear powers. U.S. negotiator Marshall Billingslea …

Taliban militants kidnapped about 60 civilians in central Afghanistan over the past week, officials said on Sunday, with more than half still being held amid efforts by the United States and other foreign powers to start peace talks. The Taliban took the hostages in the central province of Daikundi after …

The Taliban has killed or wounded more than 400 Afghan security personnel over the past week, the interior ministry said, accusing the group of increasing attacks in the run-up to expected peace talks. Violence dropped across much of Afghanistan since the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire on May 24 to …