No full meeting for the group has been convened since Trump’s election victory in November. The loose alliance — also known as the Ramstein format, named after the air base in which it is usually convened — has been run by the U.S. Department of Defense since the start of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine. Since then, … Read more
Hawkish Eastern European and Nordic countries including Poland and Sweden are keen to boost EU spending on defense, while Southern ones such as Italy and Greece would prefer more cash to stem migrant arrivals from Africa. In 2025, EU countries will set their red lines for the negotiations. But if the past is anything to … Read more
By TARA COPP, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, COLLEEN LONG and TY ONEIL LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person who died when a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives burst into flames outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel was a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret who deployed twice to Afghanistan, officials said Thursday. Two law enforcement … Read more
“Halting gas transit via Ukraine will have a drastic impact on us all in the EU — but not on the Russian Federation,” Slovak Prime Minister Fico said in a New Year’s address posted on social media. Fico — who is friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting him in Moscow in a surprise visit over … Read more
One of the most politically sensitive topics in Brussels, the €1.2 trillion budget governs spending on anything from support to Ukraine to film subsidies. Hawkish Eastern European and Nordic countries including Poland and Sweden are keen to boost EU spending on defense, while Southern ones such as Italy and Greece would like more cash to … Read more
Kathmandu: The 18th edition of Exercise Surya Kiran, a joint military exercise between India and Nepal aimed at enhancing interoperability and fostering collaboration between the two nations’ armies, began on Tuesday. The annual training event is conducted alternatively in the two countries. The exercise, taking place at the Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi in the … Read more
Warring Russia and Ukraine exchanged some 300 prisoners Monday in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. “The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very good news for all of us,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said hours after the handover. The two countries exchanged 150 enemy prisoners each, according to the … Read more
Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has ramped up its campaign of so-called hybrid attacks — such as arson, cyber and information campaigns, or sabotage — throughout Europe. Recent examples include the alleged cutting of energy and communications cables in the Baltic Sea, which German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius described as “sabotage.” … Read more
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is threatening retaliatory measures against Ukraine if Kyiv stops Russian gas transit to Slovakia as of Jan. 1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week said his government “would not prolong the transit of Russian gas” once the current contract expires at the end of this year. Zelenskyy accused Fico of … Read more
Authorities in Moscow said on Saturday that they had prevented the killing of a high-ranking Russian military officer and a pro-war Russian blogger with a homemade bomb hidden in a portable music speaker, a plot allegedly prepared by Ukraine. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), a successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said that a Russian citizen, … Read more
