NATO

Ukraine, which has made a concerted push to obtain an invitation to join Nato, has insisted throughout the war that it needs security guarantees to prevent Russia launching another invasion

Donald Trump on Sunday pushed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate cease-fire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office. Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal," Trump wrote on social media, referring to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a television interview that aired Sunday, Trump also said he would be open to reducing military aid to Ukraine and pulling the United States out of NATO. Those are two threats that have alarmed Ukraine, NATO allies and many in the US national security community. Asked on NBC's Meet the Press if he were actively working to end the nearly 3-year-old Ukraine war, Trump said, I am. He refused to say if he had spoken to Putin since winning the election in November. I don't want to say anything about that, because I don't want to do anything that could impede the negotiation, Trump said. Trump's call for an immediate cease-fi

Cyprus could apply to become a member of NATO once its armed forces receive the necessary training and equipment with US help to bring them up to the standards of the world's premier military alliance, the president of the Mediterranean island nation said Thursday. President Nikos Christodoulides put Cyprus on a trajectory for possible NATO membership, ending weeks of media speculation about his government's intentions following his meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington last month. The development goes against Cyprus' long-held policy of neutrality harking back to the Cold War era, when it walked a political tightrope between Washington and Moscow. Christodoulides said that although Cyprus cannot join NATO at this time because of objections that alliance member Turkey would raise to its potential membership, the Cypriot National Guard shouldn't be denied the opportunity to upgrade its defensive capabilities with US assistance. Turkey, which maintains more than 35,000 troop

US President-elect Donald Trump and the head of NATO have met for talks on global security, the military alliance said Saturday. In a brief statement, NATO said Trump and its secretary general, Mark Rutte, met on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida. They discussed the range of global security issues facing the Alliance, the statement said without giving details. It appeared to be Rutte's first meeting with Trump since his November 5 election. Rutte had previously congratulated Trump and said his leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong" and that he looked forward to working with him. Trump has for years expressed scepticism about the Western alliance and complained about the defence spending of many of its member nations, which he regarded as too low. He depicted NATO allies as leeches on the US military and openly questioned the value of the alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades. He threatened not to defend NATO members that fail to meet ...

NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is entering a decisive phase, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and taking on very dramatic dimensions. Ukraine's parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday's Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv's use of US and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Western air defence systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads each releasing six submunitions. Speak

Russian troops also struck Sumy with Shahed drones overnight, killing two people and injuring 12 more, the regional administration said Friday morning

US President-elect Donald Trump has announced his envoys for NATO and Canada, following his nominations for ambassador to Israel and Special Envoy to the Middle East. Trump said on Wednesday that Acting Attorney General Matthew G Whitaker will be the US Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), while former Congressman Pete Hoekstra has been nominated as Ambassador to Canada. Hoekstra represented Michigan's 2nd District in Congress for nearly 20 years, during which he was also Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. I overhauled the disastrous NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), the worst Trade Deal in the History of the United States, which was switched to the USMCA (Mexico/Canada), which no one thought could be done. We brought Trade with Mexico and Canada to a level playing field for our wonderful farmers and working families, Trump said. In my second term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST. He did an outstanding job as United State

Donald Trump says he has chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as US ambassador to NATO, the bedrock Western alliance that the president-elect has repeatedly expressed skepticism about. Trump, in a statement, said Whitaker was a strong warrior and loyal Patriot" who "will ensure the United States' interests are advanced and defended and strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability. The choice of Whitaker as the nation's representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy.

This has been a source of huge frustration to Ukraine, particularly as it could not use them against bases inside Russia that have launched ceaseless missile and drone assaults on Ukrainian cities

The Biden Administration in the last four years has expanded America's relationship with India, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. "We strengthened NATO. We've pulled NATO together. We've kept 50 countries focused on providing security assistance to Ukraine. The things that we've done in the Indo-Pacific. Quite amazing," Austin told reporters in Florida. "We walked in the door, and we were about to get kicked out of the Philippines. We are 180 degrees out from that now. We have a great relationship with the Philippines, and we continue to work together in the ways that we should be working together. You look at AUKUS, which is a generational capability that is really going to make a significant difference going forward, he said. Austin said that America's relationship with India has improved under the Biden administration. "We walked in the door and Japan has doubled its investment in defense and the list goes on and on and on. So, despite supporting and managing security ...

Donald Trump's return to the presidency introduces a shift in US foreign policy, favouring Israel's military objectives and proposing negotiation-focused approaches to the Ukraine conflict

This development comes after a significant incursion by the Ukrainian military in the Kursk area in August

NATO on Monday confirmed that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia to aid in its war against Ukraine and that some have already been deployed in Russia's Kursk region, where Russia is fighting a Ukrainian incursion. Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters. Rutte said that the move represents a significant escalation in North Korea's involvement in the conflict and marks a dangerous expansion of Russia's war. His remarks came after a high-level South Korean delegation including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats briefed the alliance's 32 national ambassadors at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leverage India's influence to foster peace while adding that New Delhi can host Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will seek support from European Union leaders on Thursday for what he is calling his victory plan to end the devastating war with Russia. Zelenskyy will address EU leaders at their summit in Brussels before shuttling across town to meet with NATO defence ministers. The EU is a key supporter of Ukraine a candidate member of the 27-nation bloc as it fights Russia's invasion that began more than 2 1/2 years ago. Zelenskyy outlined the five-point plan to Ukraine's parliament on Wednesday without disclosing confidential elements that have been presented in private to key allies, including the United States. Reaction was muted at NATO, where Secretary-General Mark Rutte said only that he and the allies take note of it. He did not discuss when Ukraine might join the world's biggest military alliance, beyond insisting that it would eventually become a member. The plan has many aspects and many political and military issues we really need to hammer

NATO on Wednesday showed no sign it would be willing to invite Ukraine to join its ranks anytime soon as allies sought more information from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about his victory plan for ending the war with Russia. The plan centres on a request for NATO to move forward on the accelerated membership application that Zelenskyy made two years ago to seek protection under the military alliance's security umbrella after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. NATO's credibility is based on its collective security guarantee, Article 5 of its founding treaty. It's a political commitment by all 32 member countries to come to the aid of any member whose sovereignty or territory might be under attack. However, it does not apply to a partner country like Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte declined to welcome the victory plan, saying only that he and the allies take note of it. He did not discuss when Ukraine might join the world's biggest military alliance, beyond insistin

Meetings in Europe, along with one in Berlin on Friday, were aimed at presenting Ukraine's position and possibly outlining its requirements for accepting future peace talks

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at 10 Downing St in London on Thursday for talks with the leaders of Britain and NATO on his victory plan for the war against Russia. Zelenskyy is meeting Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, before traveling to Paris for talks with President Emmanuel Macron. Zelenskyy says he will also meet the leaders of Germany and Italy this week to discuss the plan. He had been due to present his blueprint at a weekend meeting of Western leaders and defense ministers in Germany, but it has been postponed because U.S. President Joe Biden said he had to stay home to respond to Hurricane Milton' s landfall in Florida. Zelenskyy said Wednesday he hoped the meeting could be rescheduled soon. The details of Zelenskyy's plan have been kept quiet but contours have emerged, including the need for fast action on decisions Western allies have been mulling since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Zelenskyy said Wednesday at

Biden administration has so far said such an invitation would be a longer-term proposition that would require Ukraine to shore up its defense capabilities

Shigeru Ishiba made the proposal ahead of his victory in the ruling party leadership election on Friday, arguing that it would bolster security in Asia