German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is backing outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the post of NATO secretary general, his spokesman Steffen Heberstreit said. “With his vast experience, expertise in security policy and keen sense of diplomacy, he is an excellent candidate” to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, Heberstreit said in a post on Platform X, announcing … Read more
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is getting a rival in the race for the leadership of NATO after the announcement of the President of Romania, Klaus Ioannis, to claim the position. After the withdrawal of Charles Michel, who had announced that he would run for the European Parliament, ultimately withdrawing also the announcements of Ursula … Read more
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the elimination of 1,190 Ukrainian soldiers and the downing of 99 drones within 24 hours, while Ukraine said it shot down 13 out of 19 Russian drones, and denied losing control of a bridgehead on the bank of the Dnieper River, at a time when Ukrainian children were returned … Read more
Hungary’s parliament may ratify Sweden’s NATO accession protocol when it reconvenes for the spring session later this month, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told supporters today. “It is good news that our dispute with Sweden will soon be settled,” Orban said. “We are heading in the direction that at the start of the spring parliamentary … Read more
“If the West does not significantly increase its support for Ukraine, the Putin regime will gain confidence in its ability to influence the West, as well as Russia’s imperial appetite will increase in the foreseeable future. The Russian army, on the other hand, will have gained enormous combat experience, including fighting against Western military equipment … Read more
While European leaders insist they will not dance to Trump’s tunes about NATO and aid to Ukraine, they are singing a playlist designed to appeal to the former US president and his Republican supporters. Publish time: 19/02/2024 – 12:47 11 minutes Europe seeks to influence Trump camp on NATO and Ukraine aid. Trump said he … Read more
French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bilateral security and defense cooperation agreement in Paris today under which France will provide Ukraine with additional military aid totaling 3 billion euros. In his statements to journalists, the French president emphasized that France will continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary and … Read more
The debate in Congress over the National Security Amendment — a spectacularly misnamed piece of legislation given its centrality to U.S. foreign policy — is about more than Ukraine, a new CEPA report shows. There is no debate among members of Congress about whether Ukraine needs funding: they are well aware of the “munitions famine” … Read more
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced today that 18 NATO member countries will achieve the goal of 2% of their GDP in defense spending by 2024. “This year I expect that 18 NATO allied countries will spend the 2% of GDP for defense,” said G. Stoltenberg, during a press conference he gave today in Brussels, … Read more
Eighteen of the 31 NATO countries will meet the 2% defense spending target of their gross domestic product in 2024, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, as quoted by Reuters. “I expect 18 allies to spend 2% of their GDP on defense this year,” Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels, adding … Read more