Tag Archives: Nato

Russia is sending troops from the country’s far east to Belarus for major war games, officials said Tuesday, in a deployment further beefing up Russian military assets near Ukraine amid Western fears of an invasion. Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the drills are intended to practice a joint response …

The European Union is mobilizing “all its resources” to aid Ukraine after a cyberattack on the country’s government websites, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday. Borrell said the EU’s political and security committee would convene later on Friday for an urgent meeting on the attack, which he …

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi made a phone call on Saturday to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the current situation in Libya. The two sides agreed to intensify joint efforts and coordination to settle the crisis in Libya, achieve the desired aspirations of the Libyan people, combat armed militias and …

The Russian president on Tuesday reiterated his demand for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand eastwards, blaming the West for “tensions that are building up in Europe.” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech at a meeting with Russia’s top military brass came just days after …

European foreign ministers met Monday to coordinate what they warn would be an unprecedented economic sanctions regime if Russia launches a new military assault into Ukraine. Following a meeting of G7 ministers in Liverpool at the weekend, where the U.S. and major allies warned the Kremlin of “massive” consequences, the …

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that a video call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin was “positive.” “I think it is positive that the president of the United States spoke with the president of Russia,” Zelensky said, a day after Biden warned Putin of …

The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor Monday defended omitting the United States from a probe in Afghanistan, saying the “worst crimes” were committed by the Taliban and the Islamic State group. Rights groups criticized Karim Khan’s decision in September to “deprioritize” the investigation into American forces, and focus instead on Afghanistan’s …

U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged to make it “very, very difficult” for Russia’s Vladimir Putin to take military action in Ukraine as U.S. intelligence officials determined that Russian planning is underway for a possible military offensive that could begin as soon as early 2022. The new intelligence finding estimates …

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to make it “very, very difficult” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to take military action in Ukraine, saying his administration is putting together a comprehensive set of initiatives to curb Russian aggression. The president offered the measured warning to Putin amid growing concern …

President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow would seek Western guarantees that would preclude any further NATO expansion and deployment of its weapons near Russia’s borders. Putin’s statement came amid Ukrainian and Western worries about an alleged plan by Moscow to invade Ukraine. Russian diplomats countered them Wednesday by expressing …

Russia’s navy successfully test-fired a prospective hypersonic missile, the military said Monday. The Defense Ministry said that the Admiral Gorshkov frigate in the White Sea launched the Zircon cruise missile, hitting a practice target 400 kilometers (215 nautical miles) away. The launch was the latest in a series of tests …

Libya’s unity government has condemned an attack on a court ahead of an appeal by the son of slain dictator Moammar Gadhafi after he was barred from standing in  a presidential election. The December 24 polls come as Libya seeks to turn the page on a decade of violence since …

The United Arab Emirates has held talks with the Taliban to run Kabul airport, going up against Gulf rival Qatar in a diplomatic tussle for influence with Afghanistan’s new rulers, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter. UAE officials have held a series of discussions with the group …

The U.N. envoy to Afghanistan on Wednesday delivered a bleak assessment of the situation following the Taliban takeover, saying that an affiliate of the Islamic State group has grown and now appears present in nearly all 34 provinces. U.N. Special Representative Deborah Lyons told the U.N. Security Council that the …

As political wrangling threatens to derail Libya’s proposed election, international powers see little choice but to start the vote as planned on Dec. 24 despite the risk of unravelling a year-long peace process. Despite the lack of any agreement six weeks before the election on rules governing the vote or …

At least 19 people were killed and 50 others wounded in an attack on a military hospital in Kabul on Tuesday, the latest assault to rock Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power. The attack got under way when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the entrance of the sprawling …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said problems over the F-35 jet programme will be the main topic at his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at a summit in Glasgow starting at the end of this month, state media reported on Wednesday. Turkey, a manufacturer and buyer of the F-35s, was …

Afghan Taliban leaders said they would do all they can to help Afghan migrants in Turkey wanting to return home, the Turkish foreign minister said on Thursday after talks in Ankara, adding that both sides discussed how to prevent another “migrant wave”. Turkey hosts some four million migrants, mostly Syrians, …

A Polish court ruling challenging the supremacy of European Union law plunged the EU into an existential crisis on Friday, increasing fears among EU policymakers and many Poles that Poland could eventually leave the bloc. Politicians across Europe voiced dismay at the ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal here on Thursday that parts …

Turkey has made a request to the U.S. to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes, as the NATO ally looks to modernize its Air Force after the purchase of F-35 jets fell through, sources familiar with the matter said. The …

The Libyan Foreign Minister said on Sunday that some foreign fighters had left the country as the government of national unity sought to mobilize international aid to withdraw those who remained. “The information is correct. There is a very modest start,” Najla Mangoush said at a press conference in Kuwait …

Turkey is considering more joint defence industry steps with Russia including for fighter jets and submarines, President Tayyip Erdogan said after talks with President Vladimir Putin, despite a U.S. warning of further sanctions. On the return flight to Turkey from the talks, Erdogan told reporters he also proposed working with …

The presidents of Russia and Turkey on Wednesday began talks on curbing renewed violence in northwest Syria and on possibly expanding Moscow’s sales of military defence systems to Ankara despite U.S. objections. The talks are taking place in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi and the Kremlin said that …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on the margins of the G20 summit in Rome, state broadcaster TRT Haber said on Tuesday. The summit is scheduled for Oct. 30-31. Plastic straw bans are not helping the oceans Erdogan has recently said that relations between Ankara …

President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey still intended to buy a second batch of S-400 missile defense systems from Russia, a move that could deepen a rift with NATO ally Washington and trigger new U.S. sanctions. Washington says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to NATO’s …

Turkey sent reinforcements to the last rebel-held enclave in northwestern Syria as Russia stepped up air strikes there on Sunday, several sources said, three days before leaders Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan are due to meet for talks. Residents as well as opposition and military sources said that Russian jets …

India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with his Saudi counterpart on Sunday that included measures to bolster bilateral and trade ties, cope with COVID-19 challenges, and a “very useful” exchange on political developments in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al-Saud arrived …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will visit Russia later this month for talks with President Vladimir Putin about the violence in northwestern Syria, where Moscow and Ankara back opposing sides, two Turkish officials said on Friday.Turkey supports fighters who sought to topple President Bashar Assad, while Russia has helped shore up …

Taliban and opposition forces battled on Saturday to control the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, the last Afghan province holding out against the militant group, as the top U.S. general warned of a “civil war” if the Islamists failed to consolidate power. Both sides claimed to have the upper hand …

A convoy of US military vehicles has been filmed being directed toward Tehran after the Taliban handed it over to Iranian authorities. “The loss of these vehicles is another embarrassment for the US, and could be damaging in the future if these vehicles are used to either extract valuable technical …

Qatar’s foreign minister on Tuesday warned that isolating the Taliban could lead to further instability and urged countries to engage with the hardline Islamist movement to address security and socioeconomic concerns in Afghanistan. The U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state has emerged as a key interlocutor to the Taliban, having hosted the …

In the last call between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Afghanistan counterpart before the Taliban seized control of the country, the leaders discussed military aid, political strategy and messaging tactics, but neither Biden nor Ashraf Ghani appeared aware of or prepared for the immediate danger of the entire country falling to …

Celebratory gunfire echoed across Kabul as Taliban fighters took control of the airport before dawn on Tuesday following the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops, ending 20 years of war that left the Islamic militia stronger than it was in 2001. Shaky video footage distributed by the Taliban showed fighters …

US anti-missile defenses intercepted as many as five rockets that were fired at Kabul’s airport early on Monday morning, a US official said, as the United States rushed to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan to end its longest war. US and allied forces are hurrying to evacuate their remaining citizens …

President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that France was holding preliminary talks with the Taliban on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the possible evacuation of more people from the country. Macron, who spoke in Baghdad where he was attending a summit with several Middle East leaders, said France was …

Western forces running the Afghan airlift braced on Saturday for more attacks after the United States launched a drone strike, apparently killing an Islamic State “planner”, two days after the group claimed a deadly bombing outside Kabul airport. Among the 92 killed in Thursday’s suicide blast, claimed by Afghanistan’s Islamic …

U.S. forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule braced for more attacks on Friday after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 85 people, including 13 U.S. soldiers outside the gates of Kabul airport. Two blasts and gunfire https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/i-saw-doomsday-says-kabul-airport-blast-survivor-2021-08-26 rocked the area outside the airport on Thursday evening, …

 The United States and allies urged people to move away from Kabul airport on Thursday due to the threat of a terror attack by Islamic State militants as Western troops hurry to evacuate as many people as possible before an Aug. 31 deadline. Pressure to complete the evacuations of thousands …

Western countries worked at a war-footing pace” on Tuesday to get people out of Afghanistan, a NATO country diplomat said, as U.S. President Joe Biden looked set to come under pressure from other G7 leaders to seek more time to complete the airlift. Widespread chaos punctuated by sporadic violence has …

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will ask US President Joe Biden to extend the evacuation deadline from Afghanistan when Group of Seven leaders discuss the crisis on Tuesday, two UK ministers said. James Heappey, minister for the armed forces, and James Cleverly, a foreign office minister, said Britain was pushing …

A firefight broke out between Afghan security forces and unknown assailants at the North Gate of Kabul airport on Monday, the German Bundeswehr said on Twitter. One Afghan security force member was killed and three others were injured in the battle, which also involved U.S. and German forces, the Bundeswehr …

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to host 5,000 Afghan nationals to be evacuated from their country for 10 days on their way to a third country at the request of the United States, the Gulf Arab state’s foreign ministry said on Friday. “The evacuees will travel to the UAE …

Former President Donald Trump launched on Saturday a sustained attack on President Joe Biden’s handling of the retreat of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, which he called “the greatest foreign policy humiliation” in U.S. history. Trump, a Republican who has dangled the possibility of running again for president in 2024, has …

US President Joe Biden said Friday he could not guarantee the outcome of emergency evacuations from Kabul, calling it one of the most difficult airlift operations ever, but added he would mobilize “every resource” to repatriate Americans. “This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history,” Biden said …