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
Pistorius was hosting his counterparts in a new format that U.K. Defence Secretary John Healy dubbed “E5.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine plus years of badgering by the U.S. is having an impact. France and Germany reached NATO’s spending target of at least 2 percent GDP this year, although Italy still falls short. The U.K. is over … Read more
“There are a lot of targets in Russia — a big country, obviously,” Austin added. “And there’s a lot of capability that Ukraine has in terms of UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] and other things to address those targets.” His words represent a diplomatic pushback to pleas from Zelenskyy and his new Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha … Read more
French President Emmanuel Macron has been open to the idea of training troops in Ukraine, backed by countries like Lithuania, but others, like Germany, are fearful that would escalate tensions with Russia and endanger the lives of Western trainers sent into war-torn Ukraine. Those worries are reflected in the document, “It is highly likely that … Read more
Following the announcement, Rolf Mützenich, parliamentary leader of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, warned that the “danger of an unintentional military escalation is considerable,” underlining that the missiles which could be stationed in Germany have “very short warning time and open up new technological capabilities.” The U.S. listed Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can travel … Read more
“We are against any truce that plays into the hands of the enemy,” Zelenskyy said. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told state media that he had discussed the idea of an Olympic truce with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Asked if he would support the idea, Putin reportedly responded with a criticism of Western … Read more
The German defense ministry said that Denmark and the Netherlands are in discussions over financial support for IAAD. “Several other partners have also agreed to intensively examine whether they can also supply systems or provide resources,” the ministry added. While the German government has come under fire for refusing to donate Taurus cruise missiles to … Read more
The debate over Ukraine aid has been heating up in Berlin as Ukraine has faced setbacks on the battlefield and the latest package of U.S. military aid to Ukraine has been mired in political debate in Congress. In the controversial audio recording, released by Russia Today editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, officials from Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr, discuss … Read more
He said Germany, often criticized in the past for not spending enough on defense, would meet NATO’s target of spending 2 percent of GDP on the military through “the 2020s, 2030s and beyond.” Germany is, by far, Ukraine’s leading supporter in terms of military aid in Europe, according to data compiled by the Kiel Institute. … Read more
