Tag: NATO

NATO chief hopes Ukraine offensive will force Russia to negotiate

By Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told US President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday that Western-backed Ukraine is “making progress” in its offensive to push Russia back from occupied territories. “Ukrainians are making progress, are making advances,” he said in the Oval Office. Stoltenberg, visiting ahead of July’s NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, gave insight into how the powerful Western military bloc […]

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NATO begins unprecedented air drill in ‘show of strength’

By Deborah COLE Agence France-Presse BERLIN, June 12, 2023 (AFP) — NATO will begin the largest air force deployment exercise in Europe in the alliance’s history on Monday in a display of unity toward partners and potential threats such as Russia. The German-led “Air Defender 23” will run until June 23 and include some 250 military aircraft from 25 NATO and partner countries including Japan and Sweden, which is bidding to join the alliance. Up […]

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NATO upbeat on Sweden bid as US urges Turkey to say yes

By Pierre-Henry Deshayes and Shaun Tandon Agence France-Presse OSLO, Norway (AFP) — NATO’s chief voiced guarded optimism Tuesday on welcoming Sweden to the alliance as the United States pressed holdout Turkey to drop its objections, two days after President Tayyip Recep Erdogan won re-election. Sweden and Finland last year reversed decades of hesitation and formally applied to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine, which had unsuccessfully sought to enter the alliance whose members promise to […]

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Ukraine has received 1,550 armoured vehicles, 230 tanks: NATO chief

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Thursday 4/27/2023 NATO allies and partners have provided Ukraine with 1,550 armoured vehicles and 230 tanks to form units and help it retake territory from Russian forces, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday. The deliveries, since the start of the war in February last year, represent “more than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine”, Stoltenberg told a news conference. “In total we have trained and equipped more […]

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Finland in NATO: strategic shift with material gain

Paris, France | AFP | Tuesday 4/4/2023 by Daphne Benoit and Didier Lauras Finland on Tuesday becoming the 31st member of NATO is a strategic step that doubles the military alliance’s border with Russia and provides the coalition with additional military capacity. Here are the key facts: – Russia ‘more vulnerable’ – Finland broke with decades of non-alignment to ask to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbour Ukraine in […]

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Finland joins NATO, drawing warning from Moscow

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Tuesday 4/4/2023  by Max DELANY Finland became the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday, in a historic realignment of Europe’s defences that drew an angry warning of “countermeasures” from the Kremlin. Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine last year upended Europe’s security landscape and prompted Finland — and its neighbour Sweden — to drop decades of military non-alignment. Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto formally wrapped up the process by handing Helsinki’s […]

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From the Cold War to the Ukraine war: NATO in brief

PARIS, France (AFP) — NATO is the world’s biggest military alliance, bringing together 30 European and North American countries who commit to defend each other in the event of attack. After Finland joins on Tuesday, it will have 31 members. The alliance was formed at the start of the Cold War to protect Western Europe against the threat of Soviet aggression but its remit and reach have expanded over time. Here is a brief history […]

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Turkey becomes last NATO nation to ratify Finland membership

by Burcin GERCEK Agence France-Presse ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey on Thursday became the final NATO nation to ratify Finland’s membership of the US-led defense alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Lawmakers unanimously backed the Nordic country’s accession two weeks after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly blessed the bid. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the ratification, saying on Twitter it would “make the whole NATO family stronger and safer.” Turkey’s approval leaves […]

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Finland heads for elections under new iron curtain

by Elias HUUHTANEN Agence France-Presse IMATRA, Finland (AFP) — When Russia invaded Ukraine, a new iron curtain severed once-close ties between Moscow and Helsinki — something Ari Joronen can see with his own eyes from his farm in eastern Finland. “The trees have been cleared because of the new border fence,” he says, overlooking part of his property in the town of Imatra that adjoins the Russian border, a few hundred meters from his house. […]

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NATO chief says concerned China will arm Russia

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Tuesday 2/21/2023  NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg echoed US concerns on Tuesday that China could supply Russia with weapons to help it pursue its war against Ukraine. “It is President (Vladimir) Putin who started this imperial war of conquest. It is Putin who keeps escalating the war,” Stoltenberg said. “We are also increasingly concerned that China may be planning to provide lethal support for Russia’s war.” Stoltenberg was speaking after a […]

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Ukraine’s allies scramble to keep ammo flowing

  Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Tuesday 2/14/2023 by Max DELANY Ukraine’s Western backers pushed at a meeting on Tuesday to keep the huge amounts of ammunition and arms Kyiv needs flowing to the battlefield, as Russia ramps up its assaults. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has knuckled down on his plea for Western aircraft after securing commitments for tanks, air defence and precision missiles. But allies insist they are scrambling to ensure his forces have […]

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NATO chief hails Japan plans to expand defense spending

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — NATO’s chief on Wednesday applauded Japan’s plan to double its defense spending, saying that the pledge reflected the country’s resolve for greater security involvement in a volatile world. Speaking in Tokyo, Jens Stoltenberg said Japan’s renewed focus on security made the nation “even more” of a partner “for peace”. “I am glad that Japan is planning (a military budget) to reach the NATO benchmark of two percent of GDP devoted to […]

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