Page 12 - Nato

Putin warns of nuclear war risk, says Moscow can strike Western targets

Visibly angry, Putin suggested Western politicians recall the fate of those like Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler and France's Napoleon Bonaparte who had unsuccessfully invaded Russia in the past

Best of BS Opinion: The Nato conundrum, recalibrating spend, and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

The Nato conundrum

A possible Trump presidency is bad news

Trump is at odds with Nato - and reality

Mr Trump's mishandling of Covid and election denial were uniquely Trumpian - the behaviour of a man who doesn't like to accept reality when it isn't what he wants it to be

Trump stands by remarks about not defending Nato members after backlash

Former President Donald Trump again said Wednesday that if he returns to the White House, he would not defend NATO members that don't meet defence spending targets, days after he set off alarms in Europe by suggesting he would tell Russia to attack NATO allies he considered delinquent. Speaking at a campaign rally in South Carolina, he retold the story of his alleged conversation with the head of a NATO member country that had not met its obligations. This time, though, he left out the line that drew the most outrage encouraging Russia to do whatever the hell they want. Look, if they're not going to pay, we're not going to protect. OK? he said Wednesday. Trump hewed closer than usual to his prepared remarks after a freewheeling event days earlier in which he also drew backlash for mocking his Republican rival Nikki Haley's husband for being missing from the campaign trail. He also revised his comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has often praised as tough and ..

Nato ramps up defence spend, says Trump's remarks undermine security

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that its European members and Canada have ramped up defence spending to record levels, as he warned that former US President Donald Trump was undermining their security by calling into question the US commitment to its allies. Stoltenberg said US partners in NATO have spent USD 600 billion more on their military budgets since 2014 when Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine prompted them all to reverse the spending cuts they had made after the Cold War ended. Last year we saw an unprecedented rise of 11 per cent across European allies and Canada, Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of the organisation's defence ministers in Brussels. In 2014, NATO leaders committed to move toward spending 2 per cent of their gross domestic product on defence within a decade. It has mostly been slow going, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago focused minds. The 2 per cent figure is now considered a minimu

Austin discharged from hospital, ends second stay since cancer treatment

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, ending his second stay since surgery to treat prostate cancer, and he has resumed his full duties, the Pentagon said. Austin (70) has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December. He was taken back to Walter Reed on Sunday for a bladder issue and admitted to intensive care for a second time. He underwent a non-surgical procedure under general anaesthesia on Monday. Austin's doctors said on Tuesday that his bladder issue was related to the surgery. "The bladder issue was not related to his cancer diagnosis and will have no effect on his excellent cancer prognosis," Dr John Maddox, trauma medical director, and Dr Gregory Chesnut, director of the Center for Prostate Disease Research at the Murtha Cancer Center, said in a statement. On their advice, Austin will work from home before returning to the Pentagon later this week. His home has "full access to the ...

Trump sowing doubts about US commitment to Nato is 'un-American': Biden

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said Donald Trump's comments calling into question the US commitment to defend its NATO allies from attack were "dangerous" and "un-American", seizing on the former president's comments that sowed fresh fears among US partners about its dependability on the global stage. Trump, the frontrunner in the US for the Republican Party's nomination this year, said on Saturday that he once warned that he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO member nations that are "delinquent" in devoting two per cent of their gross domestic product to defence. It was the latest instance in which the former president seemed to side with an authoritarian state over America's democratic allies. Speaking from the White House as he encouraged the House to take up a Senate-passed aid bill to fund Ukraine's efforts to hold off a two-year Russian invasion, Biden said Trump's comments about the mutual defence pact were "dangerous and shocking". "The whole world heard it a

Nato chief warns, says Trump puts safety of US troops, allies at risk

The head of the NATO military alliance warned on Sunday that Donald Trump was putting the safety of US troops and their allies at risk after the Republican presidential frontrunner said Russia should be able to do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO members who don't meet their defence spending targets. "Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. Speaking on Saturday at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump recalled how as president he told an unidentified NATO member that he would "encourage" Russia to do as it wishes in cases of NATO allies who are "delinquent". "You didn't pay? You're delinquent?" Trump recounted saying. "No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills." Trump's remarks caused deep ...

Warned Nato allies to spend more on defence to counter Russia: Donald Trump

Republican front-runner Donald Trump said Saturday that, as president, he warned NATO allies that he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want to countries that are delinquent as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances. Speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump recounted a story he has told before about an unidentified NATO member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the trans-Atlantic alliance's defense spending targets. But this time, Trump went further, saying had told the member that he would, in fact, encourage Russia to do as it wishes in that case. You didn't pay? You're delinquent?' Trump recounted saying. No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.' NATO allies agreed in 2014, after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, to halt the spending cuts they had made after the Cold

Serbia, Kosovo leaders spar at UN over latter's ban of Serbian dinar

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo sparred at the United Nations over the latter's ban of the use of the Serbian currency in areas where minority Serbs live, the latest crisis between the two governments. Tensions escalated after the government of Kosovo, a former Serbian province, banned banks and other financial institutions in the Serb-populated areas from using the dinar in local transactions, starting Feb. 1, and imposed the euro. The dinar was widely used in ethnic Serbian-dominated areas, especially in Kosovo's north, to pay pensions and salaries to staff in Serbian parallel institutions, including schools and hospitals. Serbia said last week it would seek an emergency meeting at the U.N. Security Council over the issue. In 1999, a 78-day NATO bombing campaign ended a war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo. Serbian forces were pushed out but Belgrade never recognized Kosovo's independence and still considers it a Serbian province. At a

Tucker Carlson interviews Vladimir Putin: 5 key things Russian Prez said

Tucker Clarson interview: Vladimir Putin said that a deal to release the WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich 'can be reached'

Putin to visit Turkey in first trip to Nato country since Ukraine War

Putin's trips abroad have been limited due to the risk of possible arrest on a warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes

Nato signs key artillery ammunition contract to replenish allied supplies

NATO signed on Tuesday a USD 1.2-billion contract to make tens of thousands of artillery rounds to replenish the dwindling stocks of its member countries as they supply ammunition to Ukraine to help it defeat Russia's invasion. The contract will allow for the purchase of 220,000 rounds of 155-millimetre ammunition, the most widely sought after artillery shell, according to NATO's support and procurement agency. It will allow allies to backfill their arsenals and to provide Ukraine with more ammunition. This is important to defend our own territory, to build up our own stocks, but also to continue to support Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters. We cannot allow President (Vladimir) Putin to win in Ukraine," he added. "That would be a tragedy for the Ukrainians and dangerous for all of us. Ukraine was firing around 4,000 to 7,000 artillery shells each day last summer, while Russia was launching more than 20,000 shells daily in its neighbour's territory, ...

US Pentagon has no more money for Ukraine as it hosts meeting of allies

For the first time since Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin established the international group to support Ukraine in April 2022, the United States will host the monthly gathering of about 50 countries out of money, unable to send the ammunition and missiles that Ukraine needs to fend off Russia's invasion. While waiting for Congress to pass a budget and potentially approve more money for Ukraine's fight, the US will be looking to allies to keep bridging the gap. Tuesday's meeting will focus on longer-term needs, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. Even though we aren't able to provide our security assistance right now, our partners are continuing to do that, Singh said. On Tuesday in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced a new USD 1.2 billion joint contract to buy more than 2,22,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition. The rounds are some of the most heavily used munitions in this conflict, and the contract will be used to backfill allies that h

Production has resumed at largest oilfield after over 2-week hiatus: Libya

Libya's state-owned oil company resumed production at the country's largest oilfield Sunday, ending a more than two-week hiatus after protesters blocked the facility over fuel shortages. The National Oil Corp. said in a terse statement that it lifted the force majeure at the Sharara oil field in the country's south and resumed full production. It didn't provide further details. Force majeure is a legal maneuver that releases a company from its contractual obligations because of extraordinary circumstances. The company had activated the maneuver on Jan. 7 after protesters from the desert town of Ubari, about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of the capital, Tripoli, shut down the field to protest fuel shortages. Over the past two weeks the company's chief, Farhat Bengdara, and military officials from eastern Libya have been negotiating with the protest leaders, Fezzan Group. Barzingi al-Zarrouk, the protesters' spokesman, announced that they have suspended their protest after they ..

Nato to start wargames with 90,000 officers in east European region

NATO will launch next week its biggest military exercises in decades with around 90,000 personnel set to take part in months-long wargames aimed at showing that the alliance can defend all of its territory up to its border with Russia, top officers said Thursday. The exercises come as Russia's war on Ukraine bogs down. NATO as an organization is not directly involved in the conflict, except to supply Kyiv with non-lethal support, although many member countries send weapons and ammunition individually or in groups, and provide military training. In the months before President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022, NATO began beefing up security on its eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine. It's the alliance's biggest buildup since the Cold War. The wargames are meant to deter Russia from targeting a member country. The exercises dubbed Steadfast Defender 24 will show that NATO can conduct and sustain complex multi-domain operations over several months,

Know my VIP pick, commitment to Nato on European treatment, says Trump

The frontrunner for the Republican nomination, Trump was asked by anchors at a live Fox News town hall who was under consideration for vice president on his ticket.

Japan's foreign minister visits Poland to strengthen ties with Nato nation

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met with top officials in Poland on Monday to strengthen ties with the NATO nation, which borders Ukraine. Kamikawa conferred with Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski in Warsaw and a placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. She also was scheduled to meet President Andrzej Duda. She began her visit to Poland on Saturday but interrupted it to make an unannounced visit to Ukraine, where she pledged Japan's continued support for the country as it tries to defend itself against Russia's invasion. Japan announced during her visit that it would contribute USD 37 million to the NATO trust fund to provide Ukraine drone detection systems. In Warsaw, Kamikawa told reporters during a short news briefing that she went to Ukraine to show Japan's solidarity with the country and that Japan was working with Poland to support Kyiv. Both she and Sikorski said at a news conference that Japan and Poland are strong strategic partners who intend to strengthe

Ukraine ends year upset over stalemate with Russia, and anxious about aid

The year started with high hopes for Ukrainian troops planning a counteroffensive against Russia. It ended with disappointment on the battlefield, an increasingly somber mood among troops and anxiety about the future of Western aid for Ukraine's war effort. In between, there was a short-lived rebellion in Russia, a dam collapse in Ukraine, and the spilling of much blood on both sides of the conflict. Twenty-two months since it invaded, Russia has about one-fifth of Ukraine in its grip, and the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line has barely budged this year. A crunch has come away from the battlefield. In Western countries that have championed Ukraine's struggle against its much bigger adversary, political deliberations over billions in financial aid are increasingly strained. Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing a waiting game two years into a war that proved to be a costly miscalculation by the Kremlin. He is wagering that the West's support will gradually crumble