Finland’s foreign minister said on Tuesday a time-out of a few weeks was needed in Finland and Sweden’s talks with Turkey on their application to join the NATO military alliance. Turkey’s president said on Monday that Sweden should not expect his country’s support after a protest near the Turkish embassy …
Read More »Stockholm greenlights Quran-burning event as Turkey calls off Swedish minister’s
Turkey has called off a visit by Sweden’s defense minister against the backdrop of a planned ‘Qur’an burning’ event in Stockholm by a right-wing extremist whose anti-Islam conduct sparked riots in the European country last year. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday, “At this point, Swedish Defense Minister …
Read More »Ukraine regrets ‘indecision’ on tanks that ‘is killing more of our people’
Ukraine on Saturday denounced the “global indecision” of its allies on whether to provide heavy-duty modern tanks for its fight against Russia, saying “today’s indecision is killing more of our people.” “Every day of delay is the death of Ukrainians. Think faster,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted after the meeting …
Read More »Lavrov says Russia will ‘sober up’ NATO and EU
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow would do all it could to “sober up” the European Union and NATO, which he accused of setting out to weaken and defeat Russia. His comments came on the same day that former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned NATO that …
Read More »NATO chief calls for significant increase in weapons for Ukraine
Ukraine needs a “significant increase” in weapons at a pivotal moment in the war, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, saying such support was the only route to a negotiated peaceful solution with Russia. “President Putin has shown no sign of preparing for peace and therefore he must realize …
Read More »UK set to supply Ukraine with Challenger 2 tanks, more artillery systems, PM says
The UK government is set to supply Ukraine with a fresh package of lethal military equipment, including heavy battle tanks, despite Russia’s warning against fanning the flames of war by sending military supplies to Kiev. In a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, British Prime Minister Rishi …
Read More »Erdogan aide says time running out to ratify Sweden, Finland NATO bids
Turkey is running out of time to ratify NATO membership bids by Sweden and Finland before it holds elections expected in May, a Turkish presidential spokesman said on Saturday. President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said Turkish ratification of the countries’ bids depended on how quickly Stockholm fulfils counter-terrorism promises …
Read More »Sweden says Turkey asking too much over NATO application
Sweden is confident that Turkey will approve its application to join the NATO military alliance, but will not meet all the conditions Ankara has set for its support, Sweden’s prime minister said on Sunday. “Turkey both confirms that we have done what we said we would do, but they also …
Read More »NATO rejects Serbian request – president
NATO has rejected Belgrade’s request for the deployment of Serbian troops to Kosovo amid rising tensions in the breakaway region, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has said. In a “carefully composed letter” the command of the US-led military bloc’s contingent in Kosovo (KFOR) “replied that they believe that there is no …
Read More »US not sending M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine: Report
The United States will not send M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine, despite repeated requests from the Kiev government, according to a report in the US media. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, quoting a US official, that the Abrams tanks’ heavy fuel …
Read More »NATO chief calls for more arms for Ukraine to help it ‘prevail’ against Russia
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg had called on members of the military alliance to supply more weapons to Ukraine, saying it is in their “security interests” to make sure Kiev prevails in the protracted war against Russia. In an interview with the German news agency DPA on Friday, Stoltenberg renewed …
Read More »Putin speaks to Xi, calls for deepening military cooperation with China
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that Moscow is keen to ramp up its military cooperation with Beijing as part of joint efforts to counter Western interventions in the region. “We aim to strengthen cooperation between the armed forces of Russia and China,” Putin told …
Read More »US-led NATO, Ukraine hell-bent on destroying Russia, says Lavrov
The United States and its allies in the NATO military alliance together with Ukraine are bent on defeating Russia “on the battlefield” in order to destroy it, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov says. In remarks published by the state-run TASS agency, the top Russian diplomat described it as a “strategic …
Read More »Putin says NATO using all its potential against Russia, vows to fulfill military goals
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday vowed to fulfill the objectives of the country’s “special military operation” in Ukraine even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left for the US to lobby for more arms. In a speech at the yearly meeting with his defense chiefs, Putin said Moscow will meet …
Read More »Stoltenberg warns about full-fledged war between Russia, NATO
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned about a full-fledged war between Russia and the Western military alliance if the war in Ukraine spirals out of control. Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Friday, Stoltenberg said he feared that the war in Ukraine “will spiral out of control and become a …
Read More »US to send more weapons to Ukraine as EU adds to arms for Kyiv
The United States has agreed to send more weapons to Ukraine as the European Union is to add 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) to a fund used to help arm Kyiv. Washington is to officially announce on Friday its decision to send another arms package to Kyiv, which will include …
Read More »Russia ‘sees no prospects for negotiations on Ukraine for now’
Russia says it currently sees no prospects for talks on Ukraine, days after US President Joe Biden said he would sit with Russian President Vladimir Putin “if he’s looking for a way to end the war.” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that he agreed about the need for …
Read More »‘Hard times’ ahead for Europe – NATO
Backing Ukraine is causing living costs to soar, the bloc’s chief Jens Stoltenberg admitted Europeans are about to face numerous hardships due to Western support for Kyiv, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Germany’s Welt an Sonntag newspaper on Sunday. Despite this, he insisted that the members of the US-led …
Read More »US, NATO scramble to arm Ukraine, refill arsenals
The United States and NATO countries have started to speedily restock their own arsenals after efforts to supply Ukraine with arms and ammunition to fight Russia exhausted their own stocks. The New York Times reported on Saturday that after nine months passing since the Ukraine war kicked off, the West’s …
Read More »NATO allies embroiled in nuclear dispute – The Times
Belgium has reportedly refused to supply the UK with a crucial component needed to maintain its nuclear arsenal A rift has emerged between Britain and Belgium after Brussels blocked the export of a component critical for maintaining the UK’s nuclear arsenal, The Times reported on Friday. In response, the UK …
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