NATO - Page 19

Reporters waited three hours for Biden’s press conference in Brussels Monday. White House aides never explained why Biden was delayed and did not update reporters on his movements or timing for the press conference.

Joe Biden’s first NATO summit has concluded, with members welcoming a “new chapter” in relations that resembles the pre-Trump status quo. 

President Joe Biden attended a NATO Summit on Monday, praising the historic alliance with European nations as “essential” for the United States of America.

Chinese state media on Thursday mocked President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe, predicting Biden’s quest to rally European support against China would fail, and was probably just an empty “bluff” by Biden to begin with.

The Taliban released a statement on Monday reassuring Afghans who worked with U.S. and NATO forces as interpreters and assistants there is no need to flee the country now that foreign militaries are pulling out as the Taliban has no plans to kill them.

As U.S. President Joe Biden makes final preparations for his trip to Europe, polling released Monday shows the United States’ reputation as the leading global power has suffered in France and Germany under his leadership as China has received a boost.

LONDON (AP) – Britain said Monday it will make it easier for Afghans who worked with British troops to settle in the UK, amid rising fears for their safety as foreign forces leave Afghanistan.

Russian state media reported Thursday that an “extended Troika conference on Afghanistan reconciliation” would be held in Doha, Qatar, on Friday — the day before the May 1 deadline for American and NATO forces to withdraw.

The tempo of Taliban bombings in Afghanistan is increasing as the United States prepares to withdraw its forces in September, including a Monday rocket attack on the governor’s compound in Kunar province that killed at least 16 children during a religious ceremony.

An exit poll projected that the Socialists will win about 46% of the vote while the Democrats are expected to capture about 42%.

Joe Biden’s first foreign trip as President of the United States of America will be to the UK and Belgium in June for major international summits, the White House has confirmed.

The head of NATO, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, confirmed Thursday that the coalition would begin withdrawing from Afghanistan on May 1, the original deadline set in a deal brokered by the administration of President Donald Trump, but extended this week under successor Joe Biden.

The White House added that Biden “voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions.”

The Ukrainian government is increasingly concerned with Russian military movements near its border, despite Kremlin assurances that none of those movements are meant to be threatening.

A NATO report has revealed that Finland’s female-led government has received a torrent of sexist and misogynistic comments on social media. 

A senior official for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was convicted of spying for China last week, according to a report from Daily Beast.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group conducted a passing and communication exercise with the Turkish Navy in the Mediterranean Sea this week, the Navy said on Thursday.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the European Parliament on Monday he has “serious concerns” about the Turkish government’s behavior on various issues, “ranging from the eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish decision to buy the Russian air defense system S-400 or related to democratic rights in Turkey.”

Israel said Friday it joined Greece and Cyprus for naval exercises, confirming increased cooperation among countries that increasingly view Turkey as a rival in the Mediterranean Sea.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told allies at the NATO defense ministerial on Thursday that the administration of President Joe Biden would not “undertake a hasty or disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan,” suggesting a reconsideration of the May 2021 withdrawal date set by predecessor Donald Trump.

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), announced on Thursday that another 3,500 troops will be sent to Iraq, joining 500 NATO forces already in the country. The United States currently has about 2,500 troops in Iraq.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Tuesday that the last of her country’s military forces will leave Afghanistan in May, concluding a deployment that began 20 years ago.

The Biden administration signaled respect for America’s NATO allies ahead of its first defense ministerial with the alliance this week.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he has had “fantastic conversations” about the way President Joe Biden “sees things” on climate change, NATO and Iran.

Greece is due to sign a 2.3 billion-euro deal with France on Monday to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets as tensions grow with neighbor Turkey.

Biden’s nominee to head the State Department, during his Senate confirmation hearing, lauded Trump for being “tougher” on China.

Turkish government communications director Fahrettin Altun has claimed the eastern Mediterranean Sea as part of his country’s “blue homeland”, as tensions remain high in the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday he is looking to a compliant U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to right a “serious wrong” and allow Ankara to purchase F-35 fighter jets to work alongside its new Russian air defense systems despite Washington’s previous repeated objections.

NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) will be led by Turkey in 2021, the military bloc said on Wednesday. The news came on the same day Turkey confirmed it will snub NATO-ally U.S. and pursue major arms deals with Russia.

NATO says that Russian military activity increased slightly this year as its jets across Europe scrambled more than 400 times.

The U.S. is on track to meet Trump’s drawdown in Afghanistan to 2,500 Americans forces by January 15, a senior defense official said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed deteriorating relations between Russia and the West in a Thursday press conference, describing his country as “harmless and squeaky clean” relative to them and highlighting U.S. withdrawal from military treaties with Russia and NATO expansion into the former Soviet bloc as evidence of western culpability, the Russian state-owned Tass reported.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday that the U.S. would impose sanctions on Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) after it purchased Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missiles, despite repeated U.S. objections and security concerns.

The Polish and Lithuanian governments say they have been the target of a cyber attack aimed at undermining relations between the NATO allies.

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg has called on countries to resolve issues through dialogue as the European Union explores sanctions against Turkey over its activity in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Eurocrats met in Brussels to discuss strategies for working closer with Biden, on issues such as the green agenda and the Chinese coronavirus.