All posts tagged: NATO

NATO country forced to scramble F-16 jets after ‘aerial target’ spotted amid WW3 fears | World | News

NATO country forced to scramble F-16 jets after ‘aerial target’ spotted amid WW3 fears | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

An “aerial target” was detected near the eastern NATO border today, prompting Romania to scramble two of its F-16 jets. The Ministry of National Defence of Romania (MoND) stated that the target briefly entered the country’s airspace east of Sulina, Romania’s easternmost point. The target then moved over the Black Sea, before entering Ukrainian airspace, where it was shot down by Ukraine’s air defence system, MoND say. The government body added their radar surveillance system detected the target earlier this morning and subsequently notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations to activate alert measures for parts of Tulcea County, in southeastern Romania. An RO-Alert message, an emergency warning sent directly to mobile phones via radio waves in Romania, was issued to residents in the eastern and northern parts of the county at 10.19am EEST (8.19am BST). Two Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft were scrambled from the 86th Borcea Air Base. The air alert ceased at 11.22am EEST (9.22am BST) and the public warning was lifted. This marked the second incident of the day as this …

Ukraine asking US, SpaceX and NATO to clarify Starlink limitations

Ukraine asking US, SpaceX and NATO to clarify Starlink limitations

Published by Sam Flores

⁠Ukraine is ​in contact ​with the US, SpaceX and NATO to seek ​clarification ‌over ⁠limitations imposed on its access ‌to the Starlink satellite ⁠internet system, a source in the ​country’s Defence Ministry ‌said on Wednesday. Ukrainian troops have reported that the Starlink ​connection is being shut off when travelling at ​higher speeds, causing major ​disruption to ​Ukrainian drone operations, many ​of which depend on satellite internet to pilot the craft. FRANCE 24’s International Affairs Editor Angela Diffley tells us more. Source link

Putin’s closest ally sends tanks towards NATO’s ‘weakest link’ as WW3 fears soar | World | News

Putin’s closest ally sends tanks towards NATO’s ‘weakest link’ as WW3 fears soar | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

Putin has maintained a close relationship with Belarus. (Image: Getty) Belarus has deployed tanks, artillery and drone units close to NATO’s “weakest link” in war games practising border defence and the destruction of enemy sabotage teams. The four-day drills by Vladimir Putin’s closest ally are unfolding across the Brest and Grodno regions, bordering Poland and Lithuania, within striking distance of the strategic Suwalki Gap. They came as NATO was again forced to scramble military aircraft in Poland as Russia again targeted border areas in western Ukraine with drone attacks. “These measures are precautionary and aimed at securing and protecting airspace, particularly in areas adjacent to the threatened regions,” said Poland’s operational command. Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko. (Image: Getty) The Suwalki Gap, a corridor around 40 miles wide at its narrowest point, is NATO’s only land connection between the Baltic states and the rest of the alliance. Wedged between Vladimir Putin’s heavily militarised Kaliningrad exclave and his ally Alexander Lukashenko’s Belarus, it is described as NATO’s “weakest link”. If Russian and Belarusian troops seized or blockaded …

‘Putin looking to see how far he can push NATO’

‘Putin looking to see how far he can push NATO’

Published by Sam Flores

NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace overnight, officials said Tuesday. Separately, Denmark said that one of its air force helicopters was fired on with flares as it was carrying out surveillance of a Russian frigate in the Baltic Sea. France 24’s Philip Turle takes a look at what Moscow’s motives might be for this seeming increase in incidents inside NATO and EU territory. Source link

NATO Is Going Strong, Actually

NATO Is Going Strong, Actually

Published by Daniella Wilson

Donald Trump has long treated NATO like a punching bag, leading many observers to proclaim the demise of the Western alliance. Some analysts have called NATO “a zombie alliance.” Others have announced that the United States is decoupling from Europe, or have pronounced the North Atlantic pact “dead in the water.” And yet, the quiet reality is that NATO, albeit wounded, is actually going strong. The alliance is resilient enough to withstand the abuse heaped upon it by a U.S. president, and too vital to the security of its members for either Europeans or Americans to allow it to fall prey to Trump’s whims. The abuse has been plentiful. True to form, at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, last week, Trump chastised America’s “hopeless” NATO partners for sitting on the sidelines during the U.S. conflict with Iran and spending too little on defense. He threatened to cut off trade with Spain, whose prime minister has been an outspoken critic of the Iran war, and whose spending on defense lags behind other allies. Trump even …

5 NATO flash points as Trump meets anxious allies in Turkey

5 NATO flash points as Trump meets anxious allies in Turkey

Published by Sam Flores

President Trump and other world leaders will confront a number of key issues facing NATO during the group’s tension-filled summit in Ankara, Turkey, this week.  Trump’s pressure campaign to get other NATO member countries to up their defense spending will likely be top of mind, along with the future of U.S. troop commitments in Europe… Source link

As NATO Summit Braces For Trump, Ambassador Warns Allies: ‘We’re Not Going Away, Just Doing Less’

As NATO Summit Braces For Trump, Ambassador Warns Allies: ‘We’re Not Going Away, Just Doing Less’

Published by Jenni Sidey

Just on the eve of the annual NATO summit, and as President Trump is en route to attend the Ankara-hosted meeting, Washington has reaffirmed its vision of withdrawing from NATO leadership in order to allow other countries to shoulder the collective defense burden. America’s ambassador to the alliance told CNBC on Monday that pressuring allies to spend more – which has created tension among some European allies – reflects necessary “growing pains” rather than a crisis,  “The target is that Europe takes over the conventional defense of the European continent,” Ambassador Matthew Whitaker stated. That’s when he emphasized: “We’re not going away, we’re just doing less.“ “I see these as just the challenges that we’ve worked through before,” he continued, while commenting that there are still “laggards” which still have to reach higher and higher commitments to catch up. At last year’s summit President Trump laid out before allies the bold new defense spending target of 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) for each member country, more than doubling the prior 2% benchmark. Leading NATO members …

Pete Hegseth Branded ‘Absolute Bum’ Over Attack On Nato Countries At D-Day Commemoration

Pete Hegseth Branded ‘Absolute Bum’ Over Attack On Nato Countries At D-Day Commemoration

Published by Sam Flores

Pete Hegseth has been condemned after he used a D-Day commemoration to accuse Nato countries of not doing enough to tackle illegal immigration. The US defence secretary was branded “an absolute bum” after saying “European beaches are [being] stormed by different, dangerous ideologies”. Critics said his comments, at the Normandy American Cemetery in north-west France on the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings, were disrespectful to the memory of those who died in the Second World War. Nearly 4,500 Allied troops were killed attempting to liberate Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944. Hegseth said: “Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. “When will European capitals do something about that invasion or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not.” But his comments sparked a furious backlash on social media. Former Labour MP Jamie Reed said Hegseth was “a bum with wet hair and a suit that doesn’t fit”. The row comes after US vice-president JD Vance sparked …

REPLAY: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press at NATO meeting

REPLAY: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press at NATO meeting

Published by Sam Flores

US ​Secretary of State Marco ​Rubio ‌said ⁠on ‌Friday that ⁠the US was ​constantly re-evaluating ‌its troop presence ‌around ​the world and decisions on ​force ​posture were ​technical, ​not political. Rubio spoke from a NATO meeting in Sweden after allies expressed bewilderment on Friday at US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 US troops to Poland just weeks after he ordered the same number of forces pulled out of Europe. Source link

Russia mysteriously closes off Arctic waters for ‘missile landing zone’ near NATO border | World | News

Russia mysteriously closes off Arctic waters for ‘missile landing zone’ near NATO border | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

Russia has warned ships and aircraft to avoid large areas of the Barents Sea off northern Norway, designating them as “impact areas for Russian missiles” ahead of a planned space launch. The zones — north of Varanger and northeast of Bear Island — will remain restricted until April 30, in an unusually long safety notice for the region. Despite the alarming wording, the “missile” reference is apparently Russian terminology for rocket launches, where discarded parts of a space rocket are formally classified as falling “missile elements.” In this case, the warning relates to a Soyuz-2-1b launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, likely around April 23. As the rocket ascends, large metal structures known as payload fairings are jettisoned and fall back to Earth and two such components are expected to splash down in the designated areas. The alerts were issued through both aviation and maritime safety systems, advising seafarers to steer clear of the zones during the window. The mission is expected to carry a batch of Rassvet broadband satellites, part of Vladimir Putin’s push to …