“We constantly ask for sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry,” the official said, granted anonymity to speak frankly about the sensitive row. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert “Fico is among those who block those sanctions … and is one of the key blockers of [Ukraine’s] bid to join NATO, too.” Fico, who along with Hungarian Prime … Read more
“If Putin attacks, we must be fit to wage war,” Pistorius said in the interview published on Saturday. The minister’s comments come amid a push for NATO members to increase their defense spending, with new NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte saying alliance members need to spend “much more” on defense than the current target of 2 … Read more
During his first term, Trump had already suggested that NATO members should boost their defense spending to 4 percent of GDP. A NATO report in June showed that a record 23 member countries out of 32 were hitting the alliance’s 2 percent target for defense spending. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has partially sided with Trump … Read more
Assurances of continued military support are especially critical for Ukraine now with Trump’s imminent return to Washington. The president-elect has made clear that his administration will expect Europe to take the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense and oversee any future cease-fire deal between Kyiv and Moscow, a stark contrast to current President Joe Biden’s position. … Read more
The bloc’s new foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, European Council President António Costa and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos visited Kyiv on Sunday, on the first day of the new European Commission’s mandate, to reaffirm their “unwavering support to the Ukrainian people,” Costa said on X. Russian lawmakers had already approved the budget plans … Read more
And unlike others in Trump’s MAGA circle, Kellogg welcomed President Joe Biden’s decision to approve Ukraine’s use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, saying it has given Trump “more leverage” and adding that “it gives President Trump more ability to pivot from that.” Contrast that with the howls of protest over the … Read more
It comes amid rising fears among European countries over Trump’s impact on the alliance, given his previous comments questioning the value of NATO and threatening not to defend members who don’t pay enough into the organization. Rutte, who formally became NATO’s secretary-general in October, also met with U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national … Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed early Friday that Moscow fired a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile into Ukraine on Thursday in response to Kyiv’s use of advanced weapons provided by the United States and the United Kingdom earlier this week. Responding to Putin’s announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s decision was a sign of … Read more
However, Szijjártó continued to promote the policy in his keynote speech on Thursday, addressing the conference audience in Russian. In his 14-minute speech, Szijjártó did not mention Ukraine once, nor did he speak specifically about the war — saying only that “Europe and Hungary are facing one of the most serious conflicts since World War … Read more
The German Air Force said separately on Saturday that it had identified five Russian jets flying over the Baltic Sea and had deployed Eurofighters to escort them. This is far from the first time Russian aircraft have wandered toward EU and NATO airspace. Earlier this month, Latvia’s defense ministry said a Russian drone crashed in the Rēzekne … Read more
