Page 4 - Nato

Germany to raise defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP in 2029

Germany's finance minister on Tuesday vowed to lift the country's defense spending to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product in 2029 as he presented the new government's spending plans. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition pushed plans through parliament to enable higher defence spending by loosening strict rules on incurring debt even before it took office last month. It acted ahead of the NATO summit starting Tuesday that aims to raise allies' defence spending target from 2 per cent of GDP to 3.5 per cent, plus another 1.5 per cent for potentially defense-related infrastructure. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said Germany's defence spending will hit 2.4 per cent of GDP this year, and we will raise defence spending step by step so that we will reach a NATO quota of 3.5 per cent in 2029. Klingbeil, who is also the vice chancellor, said he will be very vigilant that the money is spent efficiently, for example by aiming for greater cooperation at European level on procurement, ...

Pro-Russian hackers target municipalities linked to Nato summit: Dutch govt

Pro-Russian hackers launched a series of denial-of-service attacks Monday on several municipalities and organisations linked to a NATO summit this week in the Netherlands, the Dutch government announced. The National Cybersecurity Center said in a statement that many of the attacks were claimed by a pro-Russian hackers' group known as NoName057(16) and appear to have a pro-Russian ideological motive. It did not elaborate. The cybersecurity centre said it was investigating the attacks that flood a site with data in order to overwhelm it and knock it offline, and was in contact with national and international partners. Raoul Rozestraten, a spokesman for the municipality in The Hague, the Dutch city hosting the summit Tuesday and Wednesday, said the attacks hit municipalities around the country. We noticed more traffic on the website of some of our service providers, he told The Associated Press. As of now, everything in The Hague is working normally." The government had launched a m

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

Indian diaspora hails PM Modi's visit as new beginning in Canada-India ties

"With the change of government and stance in Ottawa, and the current reality that Canada needs to diversify economically, this relationship will improve" says Nidhi Lodha, member of Indian diaspora

Denmark approves US military bases amid renewed interest in Greenland

Denmark's Parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to allow the United States to have military bases on Danish soil, a move that comes as US President Donald Trump seeks to take control of the kingdom's semi-autonomous territory of Greenland. Critics say the vote ceded Danish sovereignty to the US. The legislation widens a previous military agreement, made in 2023 with the Biden administration, where US troops had broad access to Danish airbases in the Scandinavian country. The new parameters follow Trump's coveting of the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island even as the US and Denmark are NATO allies. The legislation now goes to Danish King Frederik X for his signature. Ninety-four lawmakers voted for it, while 11 voted against. Greenland's prime minister previously said US statements about the island have been disrespectful and it will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.

NATO on cusp of accepting Trump's 5% defence investment demand, says Rutte

Most U.S. allies at NATO endorse President Donald Trump's demand that they invest 5% of gross domestic product on their defense needs and are ready to ramp up security spending even more, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday. There's broad support, Rutte told reporters after chairing a meeting of NATO defense ministers at the alliance's Brussels headquarters. We are really close, he said, and added that he has total confidence that we will get there by the next NATO summit in three weeks. European allies and Canada have already been investing heavily in their armed forces, as well as on weapons and ammunition, since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. At the same time, some have balked at U.S. demands to invest 5% of GDP on defense 3.5% on core military spending and 1.5% on the roads, bridges, airfields and sea ports needed to deploy armies more quickly. Still struggling to meet the old goal: In 2023, as Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine entered i

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, .

China slams Macron for Taiwan remarks, opposes Nato role in Asia-Pacific

China's foreign ministry rejects comparisons between Taiwan and Ukraine and says Nato has no mandate to expand into the Asia-Pacific region

Ukraine urges air defence aid as West meets without Pentagon chief present

Ukraine's president on Wednesday urged Western backers to speed up deliveries of air defence systems to counter Russian missile strikes and to help boost weapons production. The emphasis should be on US-made Patriot systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskky told a Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "These are the most effective way to force Russia to stop its missile strikes and terror, he said via video link, urging representatives of around 50 countries to make good on past pledges. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend, the first time a Pentagon chief has been absent since the forum for organising Ukraine's military aid was set up three years ago. Hegseth's predecessor, Lloyd Austin, created the group after Russia launched all-out war on Ukraine in 2022. His absence is the latest step that the Trump administration has taken to distance itself from Ukraine's efforts to repel Russia's full-scale invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. M

German chief of defence orders swift expansion of warfare capabilities

By 2029, Russia may have reconstituted its forces sufficiently to attack NATO territory, according to estimates by Breuer and other senior military officials at NATO

Massive drone, missile attack hits Kyiv; residents shelter underground

Ukraine's capital came under a massive combined drone and missile attack late Friday with explosions and machine gun fire heard throughout the city. Many residents of Kyiv are taking shelter in the underground subway stations. The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least four city districts, acting head of Kyiv military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on Telegram. According to Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack, two fires sparked at Solomianskyi district of Kyiv. Prior to the attack, city mayor Vitalii Klitschko warned Kyiv residents of more than 20 Russian strike drones heading towards Kyiv.

Nato allies to agree on defence spending goal of 5% of GDP by next decade

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Nato members will target five per cent GDP defence spending over next decade ahead of Nato Summit 2025 in June

Nothing will happen until I meet Putin: Trump on Russia-Ukraine peace talks

Donald Trump says no progress will be made in the Russia-Ukraine conflict until he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin directly, casting doubts on imminent peace talks

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

UK steps up Ukraine aid as Western allies rally to secure arms, ammunition

Britain on Friday announced a surge of military support to Ukraine, as the war-ravaged country's Western backers gathered at NATO headquarters to drum up more weapons and ammunition to help fight off the Russian invasion. Britain said that in a joint effort with Norway just over $580 million would be spent to provide hundreds of thousands of military drones, radar systems and anti-tank mines, as well as repair and maintenance contracts to keep Ukrainian armoured vehicles on the battlefield. On the eve of the meeting in Brussels, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said a key issue was strengthening his country's air defences. Ukraine needs a sufficient number of modern systems like Patriot missile systems, he said in a post on social media. A political decision is needed to supply these systems to protect our cities, towns, and the lives of our people especially from the threat of Russian ballistic weapons. Our partners have such available systems, Umerov said. Russian forces