Page 2 - Nato Alliance

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, .

Nato weighs US demand to hike defence spend as some fail to meet goal

NATO foreign ministers on Thursday debated an American demand to massively ramp up defence investment to five per cent of gross domestic product over the next seven years, as the US focuses on security challenges outside of Europe. At talks in Antalya, Turkiye, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that more investment and military equipment are needed to deal with the threat posed by Russia and terrorism, but also by China which has become the focus of US concern. When it comes to the core defence spending, we need to do much, much more, Rutte told reporters. He underlined that once the war in Ukraine is over, Russia could reconstitute its armed forces within 3-5 years. Secretary of State Marco Rubio underlined that the alliance is only as strong as its weakest link. He insisted that the US investment demand is about spending money on the capabilities that are needed for the threats of the 21st century. The debate on defence spending is heating up ahead of a summit of US Presiden

Nato chief urges allies to spend at least 3.5% of GDP on defence: Dutch PM

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Friday that NATO's chief wants the 32 member countries to agree to start spending at least 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product on their defence budgets at a summit in the Netherlands next month. In 2023, as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine entered its second year, NATO leaders agreed that all allies should spend at least 2 per cent of GDP. They are expected to set a new goal at a meeting in The Hague on June 25. President Donald Trump insists that US allies should commit to spending at least 5 per cent, but that would require investment at an unprecedented scale. Still, Trump has cast doubt over whether the United States would defend allies that spend too little. Schoof told reporters that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has written to the member nations to tell them that he expects the NATO summit to aim for 3.5 per cent hard military spending by 2032. Rutte also wrote that he expects a commitment to 1.5 per cent related spending

Rubio arrives for Nato talks as allies await US plans on Europe drawdown

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration's new envoy to NATO arrived Thursday in Brussels, where the alliance's top diplomats are hoping they'll shed light on US security plans in Europe. European allies and Canada are deeply concerned by President Donald Trump's readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat, as the US works to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. Recent White House comments and insults directed at NATO allies Canada and Denmark as well as the military alliance itself have raised alarm and confusion, especially with new US tariffs targeting US friends and foes alike. Since Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned last month that US security priorities lie elsewhere in Asia and on the US's own borders the Europeans have waited to learn how big a military drawdown in Europe could be and how fast it may happen. In Europe and Canada, governments are working on burden shifting plans to take over more of the load, .

Wary Europe awaits US Secretary of State Rubio with Nato's future on line

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels this week to a gathering of top diplomats from NATO countries and is sure to find allies that are alarmed, angered and confused by the Trump administration's desire to reestablish ties with Russia and its escalating rhetorical attacks on longtime transatlantic partners. Allies are deeply concerned by President Donald Trump's readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat, amid a U.S. effort to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. Recent White House comments and insults directed at NATO allies Canada and Denmark as well as the military alliance itself have only increased the angst, especially as new US tariffs are taking effect against friends and foes alike. Rubio arrives in Brussels on Thursday for two days of meetings with his NATO counterparts and European officials, and he can expect to be confronted with questions about the future US role in the alliance. For 75 years, NATO has been anchored on American

Senate confirms Matt Whitaker as Donald Trump's ambassador to Nato

The Senate confirmed Matt Whitaker late Tuesday as President Donald Trump's US ambassador to NATO, a crucial emissary to the Western alliance at a time of growing concern about the American commitment abroad. Whitaker, who had served in Trump's first administration at the Justice Department, brings a law enforcement background rather than deep foreign policy or national security ties. He was confirmed by the Senate on a vote of 52-45. During a confirmation hearing, Whitaker assured senators that the Trump administration's commitment to the military alliance was ironclad. Trump has long been skeptical, and often hostile, toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which was formed by the US and other countries in the aftermath of World War II as a deterrent to potential aggression from what was then the Soviet Union. The US commitment has been called into question due to Trump's sharp criticism of European allies and his eagerness to build ties with Russian President Vladimir Put

EU urges citizens to stockpile three days of supplies in case of crisis

The European Union on Wednesday urged citizens across the continent to stockpile food, water and other essentials to last at least 72 hours as war, cyberattacks, climate change and disease increase the chances of a crisis. The call to action for the EU's 450 million citizens comes as the 27-nation bloc rethinks its security, especially after the Trump administration warned that Europe must take more responsibility for it. In recent years, the EU has weathered COVID-19 and the threat from Russia, including its attempts to exploit Europe's dependence on its natural gas to weaken support for Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has warned that Russia could be capable of launching another attack in Europe by 2030. Today's threats facing Europe are more complex than ever, and they are all interconnected, said Preparedness and Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib as she unveiled a new strategy for dealing with future disasters. While the commission is keen not to be seen as

Trump confident US will annex Greenland, says Nato chief could be key

Trump said the US needs Greenland for international security and hinted at future discussions on the matter

Trump casts doubt on Nato solidarity, despite it aiding US after Sept 11

President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed uncertainty that NATO would come to the US's defence if the country were attacked, though the alliance did just that after September 11 the only time in its history that the defence guarantee has been invoked. Trump also suggested that the US might abandon its commitments to the alliance if member countries don't meet defence spending targets, a day after his pick for NATO ambassador assured senators that the administration's commitment to the military alliance was ironclad. Trump's comments denigrating NATO, which was formed to counter Soviet aggression during the Cold War, are largely in line with his yearslong criticism of the alliance, which he has accused of not paying its fair share toward the cost of defence. But they come at a time of heightened concern in the Western world over Trump's cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long seen NATO as a threat, and as the US president seeks to pressure Ukraine in

Nato must decline membership promise to Ukraine: Russia's foreign ministry

Zakharova said that Ukraine needed to return to the position of its 1990 declaration of sovereignty from the Soviet Union, in which Kyiv said that it would become a permanently neutral state

US, including Biden's admin, never saw Ukraine as Nato member: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States, including the Biden administration, never saw Ukraine as a NATO member. Zelenskyy spoke Friday to the Munich Security Conference. He is expected to meet with US Vice President JD Vance later. Many observers, particularly in Europe, hope Vance will shed at least some light on US President Donald Trump's ideas for a negotiated settlement to the war following a phone call between Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week.