London, United Kingdom | AFP | Russia “indisputably” now poses a bigger threat to Britain’s security than terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, the head of the British army said in an interview published Saturday. General Mark Carleton-Smith warned Moscow had shown a willingness to use its military …
Read More »Merkel calls for a ‘real, true’ European army
Strasbourg, France | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday made a clear call for a future European army, in an apparent rebuke to US President Donald Trump who has called such proposals “very insulting”. Addressing European MEPs on her vision for the future of Europe, Merkel also called …
Read More »Russia to test missiles in NATO exercise zone
Byneset, Norway | AFP | Russia plans to test missiles off Norway this week in an area where NATO is carrying out its biggest military exercises since the end of the Cold War, NATO’s chief said Tuesday, downplaying the situation. “We were notified last week about the planned Russian missile …
Read More »NATO shows Russia its military might in giant exercises
Oslo, Norway | AFP | Norway hosts NATO’s biggest exercises since the end of the Cold War from Thursday, to remind Russia the Alliance stands united despite seeds of doubt planted by US President Donald Trump. Some 50,000 soldiers, 10,000 vehicles, 65 ships and 250 aircraft from 31 countries are …
Read More »NATO moves from Cold War bunker to glass and steel palace
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | With its futuristic curved roof, gleaming walls of glass and steel and host of eco-friendly features, NATO’s new billion-euro Brussels headquarters is a world away from the drab, low-slung warren of offices reeking of Cold War intrigue that it replaces. The alliance is almost halfway through …
Read More »‘We don’t want a new Cold War’, NATO chief says
London, United Kingdom | AFP | NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday the alliance did not want a return to Cold War hostilities with Russia while expressing support for Britain’s strong stance on the nerve agent attack. He said the targeting of former double agent Sergei Skripal fit a …
Read More »Erdogan slams NATO for failing to back Syria campaign
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday angrily lashed out at NATO, accusing the Western military alliance of failing to back Turkey’s campaign against Kurdish militia in Syria. Erdogan’s latest comments were among the toughest he has directed in recent times against NATO, which Turkey joined …
Read More »US concerns over EU defence pact cloud NATO talks
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | NATO defence ministers gathered for talks Wednesday amid US concerns over the EU’s landmark defence cooperation pact and increasingly strained relations between Washington and Turkey. Washington and Ankara, two of the transatlantic alliance’s most important members, are at loggerheads over Turkey’s military offensive in northern …
Read More »NATO warns N.Korea military action would have ‘devastating consequences’
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Military intervention against North Korea would have “devastating consequences”, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Friday, after US President Donald Trump said diplomatic efforts had failed. Tensions over North Korea’s weapons programmes have soared in recent months, with Pyongyang launching a flurry of missiles and conducting its …
Read More »Russia launches war games on NATO’s eastern flank
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia On Thursday began major joint military exercises with Belarus along the European Union’s eastern flank — a show of strength that has rattled nervous NATO members. Named Zapad-2017 (West-2017), the manoeuvres, scheduled to last until September 20, are taking place on the territory of …
Read More »