Nato Alliance

Trump suggests tossing Spain out of Nato over low defence spending

Spain previously earned Trump's ire when it rejected the US call at the Nato Summit in June to increase defence spending to 5% of national GDP, becoming the only nation in alliance to reject new goal

Denmark PM warns of more Russian hybrid attacks as another drone suspected

Authorities still cannot conclude who is behind several drone incidents across Danish airports in recent days, but Russia remains Europe's main adversary, seeking to destabilize the continent, PM said

European diplomats warn Russia that Nato ready to shoot down jets

At a tense meeting in Moscow, British, French and German envoys addressed their concerns about an incursion by three MiG-31 fighter jets over Estonia last week

Germany plans military recruitment drive amid rising NATO pressure

Germany has committed billions to beefing up its military's equipment after years of neglect. Now it's trying to persuade more people to join up and serve. More than 3 years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine kick-started efforts to revitalise the Bundeswehr, the challenge of strengthening the German military has grown along with fears of the threat from Moscow. Alongside the higher military spending that Germany and NATO allies agreed on this year, the alliance is encouraging members to increase personnel numbers. Berlin wants to add tens of thousands of service members. Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that because of its size and its economic strength, Germany is the country that must have the strongest conventional army in NATO on the European side. He hasn't defined that goal in detail, but the tone underscores a shift in a country that emerged only gradually from its post-World War II military reticence after reunification in 1990. Earlier this month, the military's

Explaining Nato's Article 4 as Estonia seeks talks on Russian violation

NATO allies on Tuesday will hold formal consultations at Estonia's request after the Baltic country said that three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace last week without authorisation. Russia's Defence Ministry denied the accusation. The intrusion on Friday lasted 12 minutes and was a fresh test of the military alliance's ability to respond to Moscow's airborne threats after around 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on September 10. NATO's 32 ambassadors meet most weeks in a format known as the North Atlantic Council at the military alliance's headquarters in Brussels. Estonia has requested consultations under Article 4 of NATO's founding treaty. Poland also requested Article 4 talks after the drone incident, and two days later, NATO launched an operation, dubbed Eastern Sentry, to bolster the organization's military presence with European aircraft and other defences along its eastern flank. However, Article 4 talks do not mean automatic military or diplomatic ...

Nato intercepts three Russian jets that entered Estonian airspace

The three MiG-31 jets entered Estonia's airspace without authorisation and remained there for approximately 12 minutes, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said

Polish FM urges Nato to consider no-fly zone over Ukraine after incursion

Poland's interior ministry said that 16 drones were detected across the country during last Wednesday's incursion

Poland shoots down Russian drones inside its territory, triggers NATO alert

The Russian drones flew farther west into the Nato member's territory than at any previously reported point in the war, triggering a defensive response

UK intel may involve Nato allies to raid 'shadow fleet', claims Russia

Russia's SVR claims UK secret services plan to involve Nato allies in a large-scale crackdown on the so-called 'shadow fleet', according to intel received by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service

Appearance of Nato bases in Ukraine an immediate threat to Russia: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Nato's efforts to turn Ukraine into a strategic military foothold left Moscow with no choice but to launch its 2022 military operation

Russia will no longer play 'one-sided' games with the West: Vladimir Putin

Putin's remarks came just days after the Nato summit in The Hague, where the alliance's members committed to increasing defence expenditure to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035

Nato chief calls summit 'transformational' despite defence spending rift

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was upbeat that the military organisation will agree on massive spending hikes at a transformational summit on Wednesday, as member state leaders including US President Donald Trump assembled in The Netherlands. Leaders of the 32-nation alliance are expected to agree a new defense spending target of 5 per cent of gross domestic product, as the United States NATO's biggest-spending member shifts its attention away from Europe to focus on security priorities elsewhere. So a transformational summit. Looking forward to it, Rutte told reporters in The Hague, before chairing the meeting's only working session, which was expected to last less than three hours. But ahead of the meeting, Spain announced that it would not be able to reach the target by the new 2035 deadline, calling it unreasonable. Belgium signalled that it would not get there either, and Slovakia said it reserves the right to decide its own defence spending. Rutte conceded that these ar

Donald Trump to meet Nato allies amid doubts over US defence commitment

President Donald Trump on Wednesday will meet with members of a NATO alliance that he has worked to bend to his will over the years and whose members are rattled by his latest comments casting doubt on the US commitment to its mutual defence guarantees. Trump's comments en route to the Netherlands that his fidelity to Article 5 depends on your definition" are likely to draw a spotlight at the NATO summit, as will the new and fragile Iran-Israel ceasefire that Trump helped broker after the US unloaded airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. At the same time, the alliance is poised to enact one of Trump's chief priorities for NATO: a pledge by its member countries to increase, sometimes significantly, how much they spend on their defence. NATO was broke, and I said, You're going to have to pay,' Trump said Tuesday. And we did a whole thing, and now they're paying a lot. Then I said, You're going to have to lift it to 4 or 5 per cent, and 5 per cent is better. Spending 5 per cent of

Nato leaders to meet for what could be historic summit or divided one

US President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts will meet formally Wednesday for a summit that could unite the world's biggest security organisation around a new defense spending pledge or widen divisions among the allies. Just a week ago, things had seemed rosy. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was optimistic the European members and Canada would commit to invest at least as much of their economic growth on defense as the United States does for the first time. Then Spain rejected the new NATO target for each country to spend 5 per cent of its gross domestic product on defence, calling it unreasonable. Trump insists on that figure, but doesn't say it should apply to America. The alliance operates on a consensus that requires the backing of all 32 members. Trump has since lashed out at Prime Minister Pedro Snchez's government, saying: NATO is going to have to deal with Spain. Spain's been a very low payer." He also criticised Canada as a low payer. European allies and Canada a

Nato chief warns Russia of 'devastating' response to any aggression

Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte warns Russia against attacking any ally, calls Moscow the biggest threat, and unveils historic defence spending plans ahead of the 2025 summit

Nato leaders to meet for a summit that could be historic or with divisions

US President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts are due to gather Tuesday for a summit that could unite the world's biggest security organisation around a new defence spending pledge or widen divisions among the 32 allies. Just a week ago, things had seemed rosy. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was optimistic the European members and Canada would commit to invest at least as much of their economic growth on defence as the United States does for the first time. Then Spain rejected the new NATO target for each country to spend 5% of its gross domestic product on defence needs, calling it unreasonable. Trump also insists on that figure. The alliance operates on a consensus that requires the backing of all 32 members. The following day, Trump said the US should not have to respect the goal. I don't think we should, but I think they should, he said. Trump lashed out at Prime Minister Pedro Snchez's government, saying: NATO is going to have to deal with Spain. Spain's been a very l

Hundreds protest in The Hague against Nato, days before it hosts summit

Hundreds of people have protested against NATO and military spending and against a possible conflict with Iran, two days before a summit of the alliance in The Hague that is seeking to increase allies' defense budgets. Let's invest in peace and sustainable energy, Belgian politician Jos d'Haese told the crowd at a park not far from the summit venue on Sunday. Although billed as a demonstration against NATO and the war in Gaza, protesters were joined by Iranians who held up banners saying No Iran War, the day after the United States launched attacks against three of Iran's nuclear sites. We are opposed to war. People want to live a peaceful life, said 74-year-old Hossein Hamadani, an Iranian who lives in the Netherlands. Look at the environment. Things are not good. So why do we spend money on war? he added. The Netherlands is hosting the annual meeting of the 32-nation alliance starting Tuesday, with leaders scheduled to meet Wednesday. The heads of government want to hammer out a

With Trump involved, wartime Nato summit may shift focus from Ukraine

At its first summits after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO gave President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pride of place at its table. It won't be the same this time. Europe's biggest land conflict since World War II is now in its fourth year and still poses an existential threat to the continent. Ukraine continues to fight a war so that Europeans don't have to. Just last week, Russia launched one of the biggest drone attacks of the invasion on Kyiv. But things have changed. The Trump administration insists that it must preserve maneuvering space to entice Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, so Ukraine must not be allowed steal the limelight. In Washington last year, the military alliance's weighty summit communique included a vow to supply long-term security assistance to Ukraine, and a commitment to back the country on its irreversible path" to NATO membership. The year before, a statement more than twice as long was published in the Lithuanian ..

Massive security operation for Nato summit turns The Hague into a fortress

Locals, art lovers and diplomats like to meet over a meal and a drink in the historic Gastrobar Berlage behind a landmark art museum in The Hague. But the usual stream of visitors turned into a trickle when fences started rising outside as part of super-tight security around a meeting of NATO leaders that is smothering the Dutch city in a massive military and police operation called Orange Shield. Parts of the usually laid-back city, where NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte used to ride his bicycle to work while munching on an apple when he was prime minister of the Netherlands, are turning into a military fortress. It's dead, Berlage owner Bianca Veenhof said as she looked at an almost empty terrace at the start of what should have been Wednesday's lunchtime rush. Parking spots have been blocked off by freshly installed security fencing, workers in nearby offices have been told to stay home and public transit lines near the grounds have been diverted. The city that markets itself

Nato set to approve new military purchases as part of defence spending hike

NATO defence ministers are set Thursday to approve plans to buy more weapons and military equipment to better defend Europe, the Arctic and the North Atlantic, as part of a US push to ramp up security spending. The "capability targets" lay out plans for each of the 32 nations to purchase priority equipment like air and missile defence systems, artillery, ammunition, drones and "strategic enablers" such as air-to-air refuelling, heavy air transport and logistics. "Today we decide on the capability targets. From there, we will assess the gaps we have, not only to be able to defend ourselves today, but also three, five, seven years from now," NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said. "All these investments have to be financed," he told reporters before chairing the meeting at NATO's Brussels headquarters. US President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts will meet on June 24-25 to agree to new military spending targets. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that "to be an alliance, .