Page 7 - Nato

NATO chief presses Turkey to advance Sweden's membership application

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday pressed Turkey to quickly ratify Sweden's membership in the military organisation, three months after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would help hasten the process in the Turkish parliament. Many allies would like to see speedy progress on this ratification," Stoltenberg told The Associated Press after chairing a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels. Sweden has delivered on what they promised, and now we need the ratification of Swedish membership. Sweden and its neighbor Finland turned their backs on decades of military non-alignment after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Their aim was to seek protection under NATO's security umbrella, and Finland joined in April. All 31 NATO allies must endorse Sweden's membership. Turkey and Hungary are dragging their feet. Erdogan spent months publicly saying he was withholding his country's approval because he believed that Swed

Ukraine Prez Zelenskyy seeks more support to fight Russia at Nato meeting

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived at NATO for Wednesday's meetings with alliance defence ministers to further drum up support for Ukraine's fight against Russia. The US is hosting a meeting of the Ukraine contact group to seek more weapons and ammunition for the war-ravaged country. NATO allies and partner countries will be waiting to hear precisely what kinds of military equipment Kyiv needs. Following that meeting, the 31 allies and Ukraine will take part in the first NATO-Ukraine Council at this level. The forum was formally established in July as part of efforts to bring Kyiv closer to the alliance. It allows NATO and Kyiv to discuss issues of common interest and concern.

Nato in a bind as Russian attacks edge closer to alliance's territory

As Ukraine reaps a bumper harvest, Russia is targeting the export routes that run from the ports around Odesa

Nato chief meets with Zelenskyy to discuss 'ending Russia's aggression'

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the status of the war and needs of troops on Thursday, the day after Russia accused Ukraine's Western allies of helping plan and conduct last week's missile strike on the Black Sea Fleet's headquarters on the annexed Crimean Peninsula. Zelenskyy said that Stoltenberg agreed to make efforts to get NATO members to help provide additional air defence systems to protect Ukraine's power plants and energy infrastructure that were badly damaged in relentless and deadly attacks by Russia last winter. He also reminded the secretary-general of the persistent drone, missile and artillery attacks that often strike residential areas and were blamed Thursday for at least three civilian deaths in the past day. In the face of such intense attacks against Ukrainians, against our cities, our ports, which are crucial for global food security, we need a corresponding intensity of pressure on Russia and a ...

On the brink of joining Nato, Sweden seeks to boost defence spending by 28%

The Swedish government said on Monday it wants to increase its defence budget by 28 per cent, putting it on track to reach the military spending target 2 per cent of gross domestic product set by the NATO alliance, which the Scandinavian country is preparing to join. We are in the most serious security policy situation since the end of World War II, which requires Sweden to have a defence that is ready to protect Swedish territory, defence minister Pal Jonson said. Unveiling a defence bill for 2024, Sweden's centre-right coalition government said military spending would increase by a total of 27 billion kronor (USD 2.4 billion). Of that amount, approximately 700 million kronor (USD 63 million) will be spent on Sweden's future membership of NATO. Jonson said Sweden must adapt its preparedness and its military exercises to prepare for NATO membership but must also continue its support for Ukraine. In May last year, Sweden and neighbouring Finland sought protection under NATO's ...

Proximity of Russia aattacks on Ukraine's Danube stirs fear in Romania

The discovery of drone debris on Romanian territory this week has left some local residents fearing that the war in neighbouring Ukraine could spread into their country, as Russian forces bombard Ukrainian ports just across the Danube River from NATO-member Romania. Moscow aims to disrupt Ukraine's ability to export grain to world markets with a sustained campaign of attacks targeting Ukrainian Danube ports, and has attacked the port of Izmail four times this week, Ukrainian officials say. Across from Izmail, pieces apparently from a drone were found near the Romanian village of Plauru, Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar said Wednesday. It was unclear if Romanian authorities had determined when or from where the drone was launched, and Tilvar said the debris didn't pose a threat, but the development has left citizens in the European Union nation feeling uneasy. Daniela Tanase, 46, who lives in Plauru with her husband and son, told The Associated Press that the drone strikes on .

7 killed in Russian missile attack in Ukraine as Zelenskyy visits Sweden

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelled to Sweden on Saturday, his first visit to the country since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, while at home a missile strike in the center of a northern city killed seven people and wounded scores of others. The Swedish government said Zelenskyy will meet officials at Harpsund, the prime minister's official summertime residence, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Stockholm. He will also meet Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at a palace in the area. Sweden abandoned its longstanding policy of military nonalignment to support Ukraine with weapons and other aid in the war against Russia. The government says Sweden has provided 20 billion kronor (1.7 billion euros) in military support to Ukraine, including Archer artillery units, Leopard 2 tanks, CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers, anti-tank weapons, mine clearing equipment and ammunition. Sweden also applied for NATO membership but is

Zelenskyy visits NATO candidate Sweden for first time since war with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Sweden on Saturday his first visit to the country since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, the Swedish government said. It said Zelenskyy will meet Swedish government officials in Harpsund, about 120 kilometres west of Stockholm. He will also meet Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at a palace in the area. Sweden abandoned its longstanding policy of military nonalignment to support Ukraine with weapons and other aid in the war against Russia. It also applied for NATO membership but is still waiting to join the alliance. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border. The Kremlin said that Putin listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in charge of Moscow's operations in Ukraine, and other top military brass at the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District. The exact timings of his visit

Tensions high on Nato's border with Belarus as Wagner troops move closer

. "Underestimating the activities of Wagner group would be a mistake," Siewiera told Wprost newspaper.

Eyeing country's accession to Nato next year: Ukraine Defence Minister

Talking about the next year's NATO Summit in Washington, Reznikov said, "Who knows, maybe it will be a very important day for Ukraine," adding "It is just my forecast.''

Biden closes out his Europe trip by showcasing new NATO member Finland

Finland joined as NATO's newest member earlier this year, an entry that effectively doubled the alliance's border with Russia

Biden is closing out his Europe trip by showcasing new Nato member Finland

President Joe Biden will close out his five-day trip to Europe on Thursday standing alongside Nordic leaders in an effort to show NATO's expanding power and influence against a burgeoning Russia. The brief stop in the shoreline Finnish capital is the coda to a Biden tour that was carefully sketched to highlight the growth of the military alliance that the president says has fortified itself since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined as NATO's newest member earlier this year, an entry that effectively doubled the alliance's border with Russia. Biden arrived in Helsinki after what he deemed a successful annual NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where allies agreed to language that would further pave the way for Ukraine to join the military alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the summit's outcome a significant security victory" for his country but nonetheless expressed disappointment Kyiv did not get an outright invitation to join NATO. Biden and other .

Ukraine wins G7 security pledges but Nato membership remains elusive

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed fresh pledges of weapons and ammunition to fight Russia's invasion along with longer-term security commitments from the West on Wednesday even as he expressed disappointment over the lack of a clear path for his country to join NATO as the alliance wrapped up its annual summit. "The Ukrainian delegation is bringing home a significant security victory for the Ukraine, for our country, for our people, for our children," he said while flanked by U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders from the Group of Seven most powerful democratic nations. A joint declaration issued by the G7 lays the groundwork for each nation to negotiate agreements to help Ukraine bolster its military over the long term. Zelenskyy described the initiative as a bridge toward eventual NATO membership and a deterrent against Russia. "We will not waver," Biden vowed after the summit in Lithuania ended. "I mean that. Our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken. We will

Our unity will not falter, I promise you: Biden at Nato on Ukraine defence

President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday that western allies will not waver in defense of Ukraine, casting the struggle against Russian aggression as one of the world's central challenges. Our unity will not falter," Biden declared. "I promise you. He made the promise at the NATO summit in the capital of Lithuania, a country that he said knows the transformational power of freedom" after spending decades under Moscow's thumb. He drew parallels between Lithuania's struggle to escape Soviet rule and Ukraine's ongoing fight to repel Russia's deadly invasion, highlighting the importance of rallying allies to take on the challenge. America never recognised the Soviet occupation of the Baltic," he said to an outpouring of cheers from a crowd of thousands in a courtyard at Vilnius University draped with American and Lithuanian flags. "Never, never. More spectators gathered in an overflow area, where a big screen was set up. Biden spent two days in Vilnius for the annual NATO summit, where ..

NATO summit results in mixed news for Ukraine, hope for Sweden's entry

US President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts wrapped up a two-day summit Wednesday with pledges of long-term support for Ukraine but no offer of the country's protection under the alliance's security umbrella. Results from the meeting in Lithuania, a nation on NATO's eastern flank that borders Russia, were mixed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky was grateful for the pledges of more arms and ammunition but disappointed that his country has no clear time frame for joining the world's biggest security alliance. After an evening of pre-summit intrigue, Sweden took a big step toward becoming NATO's 32nd member country when Turkey signaled it would give its approval but not before October. The allies also launched sweeping changes to their defense plans in case of an attack from Russia or by terrorists. They agreed to step up defense spending, too, but set out no timetable for meeting the targets. UKRAINE'S FUTURE IN NATO NATO allies offered more weapons, ammunition and other

Nato prepared to back Ukraine in fight but not to extend membership

NATO leaders prepared to provide Ukraine with more military assistance for fighting Russia but only vague assurances of future membership as the alliance's summit draws to a close on Wednesday. A draft agreement states that Ukraine can join NATO when allies agree and conditions are met." The ambiguous outcome reflects the challenges of reaching consensus among the alliance's current members while the war continues, and it is likely to leave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unsatisfied. Although Zelenskyy planned to attend the summit's final day, he has been sharply critical of what he described as NATO's absurd reluctance to set a timeline for his country's acceptance into the alliance. In essence, Western countries are willing to keep sending weapons to help Ukraine do the job that NATO was designed to do hold the line against a Russian invasion but not allow Ukraine to join its ranks and benefit from its security. Zelenskyy said in a Tuesday speech in a town square in .

Turkey's support for Sweden's Nato entry is tied to goals on security

Turkiye made a surprise pledge to drop its opposition to Sweden joining NATO, paving the way for the Nordic country to become a member of the Western military alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg heralded the agreement Monday after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Stoltenberg said Turkiye had agreed to support Sweden's NATO bid by putting the issue to a vote in Parliament -- in return for deeper cooperation with Sweden on security issues and a pledge from Sweden to revive Turkiye's quest for EU membership. The agreement also says Sweden and Turkiye will step up trade and investment with each other. Hungary, the only other NATO holdout on Sweden, is also expected to drop its opposition. Hungary's foreign minister said Tuesday that his country's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership was now just a technical matter. Erdogan has been uncharacteristically quiet since the agreement was publicized, declining to

Nato summit boosted by deal to advance Sweden's bid to join alliance

NATO's summit will begin Tuesday with fresh momentum after Turkiye withdrew its objections to Sweden joining the alliance, a step toward the unity that Western leaders have been eager to demonstrate in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The decision by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a significant move toward Sweden's membership and it will alleviate tension in Vilnius, Lithuania's capital. This is a historic day, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said late Monday as he announced the agreement following days of intensive meetings. As part of the deal, Erdogan said he would ask Turkiye's parliament to approve Sweden joining NATO. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is expected to take a similar step. The outcome is a victory for US President Joe Biden as well, who has touted NATO's expansion as an example of how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has backfired on Moscow. Finland has already become the 31st member of the alliance, and Sweden is on deck to become th

US President Biden to meet Ukrainian counterpart at Nato summit: Report

The meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy will mark a sign of unity as the Ukrainian President's presence at the summit had been in question

US President Biden welcomes Turkey's agreement to back Sweden's NATO bid

Biden expressed readiness to work with Erdogan and Turkey on enhancing defence and deterrence. He stated that he looked forward to welcoming Sweden as US' 32nd NATO ally