Ukraine’s defense minister confirmed on Wednesday that Kyiv had received Patriot air defense systems, and said this made Ukrainian skies more secure. “Our air defenders have mastered them as fast as they could. And our partners have kept their word,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote on Twitter. He did not …
Read More »Putin visits two regions in Ukraine, Russia presses assault on Bakhmut
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met his commanders in two regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed, while Russian forces stepped up heavy artillery bombardments and air strikes on the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The Kremlin said Putin had attended a military command meeting in Ukraine’s …
Read More »Ukraine FM says it’s time to turn Black Sea into ‘sea of NATO’
NATO should play a bigger role in security in the Black Sea, and integrate Ukrainian air and missile defenses with those of its allies, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said on Thursday. “The Black Sea is instrumental for making the whole of Europe peaceful and future-oriented,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitro …
Read More »NATO has special forces in Ukraine, US military leak reveals
NATO maintains 97 special forces personnel in Ukraine, including 50 British, 14 Americans, and 15 French forces, amid the war in the country, secret US military documents leaked online have revealed. The documents appear to offer a partial snapshot of US military assessments of the state of the Ukraine conflict …
Read More »Opinion | Xi divides and conquers during Macron’s China visit
The French president was accompanied by Ursula von der Leyen, who failed in her role of European unity-imposing overseer French President Emmanuel Macron has wrapped up a three-day visit to China, accompanied partly by European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen, who went home a day earlier. The dual visit …
Read More »Ukraine-fired missile shot down over Crimea: local Gov.
A missile fired from Ukraine has reportedly been shot down over the Black Sea town of Feodosia in the Russia-controlled Crimea, local officials have unveiled. “A missile fired from the direction of Ukraine has been shot down over Feodosia,” said the head of the Republic of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov in …
Read More »More classified US documents shared in new leak – NYT
The Pentagon and Justice Department said they are investigating the alleged unauthorized disclosures. Scores of secret US national security files have appeared online after another major leak, the New York Times has reported, noting that the new documents include “sensitive” material related to Ukraine, China, the Middle East and terrorism. …
Read More »NATO chief demands Russia release US journalist
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Monday demanded the “immediate release” of US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia on suspicion of spying. “His arrest is of great concern. It is important to respect freedom of the press, the rights of journalists and the right to ask questions …
Read More »Montenegro voters choose president amid political turmoil
Voters in Montenegro cast ballots Sunday in a runoff presidential election that is a contest between a long-serving pro-Western incumbent and a newcomer promising changes in the small NATO member nation located on Europe’s Balkan peninsula. Observers think President Milo Djukanovic, who is credited with leading Montenegro to independence from …
Read More »Nordic nation cleared to join NATO
Turkey is the last country to ratify Finland’s membership application Turkey’s parliament has unanimously approved Finland’s bid to join NATO, clearing the last hurdle for the Nordic nation to officially become a fully-fledged member of the US-led military bloc. In a vote on Thursday, all 276 Turkish MPs present voted …
Read More »Putin accuses West of building ‘new axis’ similar to World War II alliance
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States and NATO of seeking to build a new global “axis” which he said bore some resemblance to the World War II alliance between Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and imperial Japan. Speaking on state television on Sunday, Putin also criticized the US …
Read More »Serbia vows to never forget ‘NATO aggression’
Aleksandar Vucic was marking the 24th anniversary of the bloc’s bombing campaign, which killed thousands Serbians could only forget the “aggression” unleashed by the US-led NATO, in 1999, if their country ceases to exist, President Aleksandar Vucic warned on Friday. He was marking the 24th anniversary of the military bloc’s …
Read More »Nuclear warning issued to Ukraine over Crimea
Russia would be justified in using any means necessary if Kyiv tries to retake the peninsula, former President Dmitry Medvedev has claimed Any Ukrainian attempt to capture Crimea could be met with a nuclear response by Moscow, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned. He insisted, however, that Kyiv’s claims …
Read More »Most NATO states ignoring spending target – Stoltenberg
Members “need to deliver more in a more dangerous world,” the secretary general of the US-led military bloc says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has urged member states to boost their defense spending, saying the US-led alliance expected more countries to meet the 2% of GDP target in 2022. Stoltenberg …
Read More »Poland, Slovakia become first NATO members to offer Ukraine fighter jets
Slovakia’s government has approved a plan to give Ukraine its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets. Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced the unanimous decision of his government on Friday. Slovakia no longer uses the jets. The decision makes Slovakia the second NATO member country to agree to fulfill the Ukrainian …
Read More »‘Visit for peace’: China’s Xi heading to Russia first time since Ukraine war
Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Russia next week at the invitation of his Russian counterpart in a move that will demonstrate growing cooperation between the two all-weather allies in the face of Western pressures. The high-stakes three-day visit beginning on Monday comes as Beijing has offered to …
Read More »Sunak announces UK nuke plans
The UK prime minister says the modernization of the country’s “nuclear enterprise” will follow a new defense spending hike The UK government has earmarked an additional £5 billion ($6 billion) for bolstering the country’s military capabilities, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement published on Monday. Britain’s nuclear deterrent …
Read More »Iran-Saudi deal ushers in post-America era in Persian Gulf region: Iranian ofiicial
A top military adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says a post-US era has started in the Persian Gulf region in the wake of a China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties. Speaking on Sunday, Major General Yahya …
Read More »Ukraine conflict being fueled by empires – Pope Francis
The interests of several countries, not just Russia, are driving the hostilities, the pontiff said Russia is not the only “empire” whose interests are driving the conflict in Ukraine, Pope Francis said in an interview with Swiss television RSI, set to be released on Sunday. Excerpts from the interview were …
Read More »What will it take to end the war in Ukraine?
Ukraine and Russia face obstacles to peace talks, but pressure to negotiate will inevitably increase. More than a year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war appears to have reached a deadlock. Since the liberation of Kherson by Ukrainian forces last November, both sides have been engaged in positional …
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