NATO - Page 11

The Turkish government has demanded both Finland and Sweden extradite 130 alleged terrorists as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes new demands for approval of NATO membership. Turkish President Erdogan spoke on Sunday, saying that Finland and Sweden must deport 130

ISTANBUL (AP) – Sweden and Finland are unlikely to be able to join NATO before June, a senior Turkish official said Saturday.

Ukraine’s defence minister has told Western media is a “de facto” NATO member and expects substantial Western weapons shipments shortly. 

Military aid due to be sent from Western nations to Ukraine will only “prolong the suffering” of the country, Russia has warned.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Even by the standards of Turkey’s and Greece’s frequently strained relations, it was a remarkable escalation. Speaking to youths in a Black Sea town, Turkey’s president directly threatened his country’s western neighbour: Unless the Greeks “stay calm,” he said, Turkey’s new ballistic missiles would hit their capital city.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) – Serbs on Tuesday erected more roadblocks in northern Kosovo and defied international demands to remove those placed earlier, a day after Serbia put its troops near the border on a high level of combat readiness.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine and its western allies of trying to destroy his country late Monday night, demanding Kyiv accept Moscow’s prescription for ending the war or be “eliminated” on the battlefield.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the West should work to degrade Russia, citing the drones that Iran has been providing to Moscow.

Poland’s top police officer was hospitalised after firing a grenade launcher gifted to him by Ukraine in his office, according to reports.

British Royal Marines have reportedly engaged in “covert” operations in Ukraine, a senior general has reportedly confirmed.

The Kremlin confirmed on Monday that leader Vladimir Putin would not hold his traditional year-end press conference in December, suggesting it may instead occur in 2023 – the first time in a decade that Putin skips the occasion.

NATO’s Secretary-General has expressed a fear that the alliance may be dragged into an armed conflict this winter with Russia, and stated that the alliance’s most important task is to prevent war in Europe.

A full-blown “major war” between Russia and the West could possibly break out over Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Europe should look to rekindle Soviet-era peace agreements with Vladimir Putin.

Too much is never enough, NATO ministers were told in Romania on Tuesday, as they met to drum up more support for Ukraine, including a direct U.S. call for increased deliveries of electrical components for the war-torn country’s devastated power transmission network.

The deputy chairman of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party says the U.S. is working to prolong the Ukraine war for “its own benefit”.

Russia has accused Ukraine and “Poland’s Russophobic government” of trying to provoke a “direct clash between Russia and NATO” over what was likely an accidental Ukrainian missile strike on Polish territory.

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) said that America needs to make countries in Europe do more to help Ukraine and “is taking on this burden of helping defend freedom.” Waltz

The Kremlin’s top spokesman offered rare words of praise for the United States and leftist President Joe Biden in particular on Wednesday, expressing appreciation for a “restrained and … professional” response to a missile landing in Poland on Tuesday night and killing two people.

U.S. officials are now briefing the Associated Press that deadly explosions in Poland blamed on Moscow by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky were probably caused by missiles fired by Ukrainian forces, with President Joe Biden telling reporters it is “unlikely” Russia is responsible. 

President Joe Biden gathered with world leaders at the G20 summit in Indonesia on Wednesday for a special roundtable meeting to respond to the deadly explosions that took place in Poland.

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is in an emergency meeting amid reports that two stray rockets fell in a Polish town on the Ukrainian border, killing two people.

Russia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom has warned that Britain is “too deep” in the Ukraine war, bringing the NATO member “up to the line” of “no return” in terms of a possible conflict with Moscow.

Thousands of people rallied in Prague on Friday to protest the Czech government’s continued support of sanctions against Russia and call for an early election so that a new government can negotiate with Moscow before the winter energy crunch hits.

On Thursday’s broadcast of Fox News Radio’s “Brian Kilmeade Show,” Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) discussed how a Republican Congress would handle aid to Ukraine and stated that there needs to be greater oversight and “the other European allies and NATO

WASHINGTON (AP) – Weapons shortages across Europe could force hard choices for Ukraine’s allies as they balance their support for Ukraine against the risk that Russia could target them next.

U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers will lead fighter jets from Belgium, Germany, and 12 other countries across Europe’s skies on nuclear exercises Monday, amid reports Russia had increased the number of strategic bombers close to its border with NATO-member state Norway.

Allowing Ukraine to join NATO would result in a “guaranteed escalation to World War III”, Alexander Venediktov said.

On Wednesday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “The Record,” White House NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby responded to a question on whether NATO members have met their commitments to help Ukraine in the war by stating that “Every nation

NATO members must lift supplies of lethal arms to Ukraine immediately, including advanced air defense systems, artillery, ammunition, armored vehicles, and anti-tank weapons. That was the message from Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the pact’s two-day ministerial meeting in Brussels that begins Wednesday.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he was concerned Russian President Vladimir Putin would attack a NATO country.

President Joe Biden tried to send a message of strength as he reacted to remarks from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

Finland´s future NATO membership will make the Nordic country a more interesting target for Russian intelligence and influencing operations.

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has courted controversy on the eve of the Italian elections by saying that Russian president Vladimir Putin was “pushed” into war with Ukraine.

The Prime Minister of Estonia has warned that her country faces blackouts if Russia disconnects the three Baltic states — all NATO and EU members — from its grid amid the ongoing Russo-Western sanctions war. 

British Prime Minister Liz Truss told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday that free nations should band together and “act as an economic NATO” to defend prosperity against the malevolent influence of authoritarian regimes like Russia and China.