Defence and security Archives

Germany will reach a NATO defence spending target by 2031, its defence minister said on Thursday (7 November), missing a 2024 deadline agreed by the allies who are under heavy US pressure to beef up their military budgets.

European countries can no longer rely on the United States to defend NATO allies, French President Emmanuel Macron warned in an interview on Thursday (7 November), only weeks ahead of a meeting of NATO leaders in London, supposed to mend the widening cracks in the Western military alliance.

President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday (5 November) that Iran would resume uranium enrichment at an underground plant south of Tehran in its latest step back from a troubled 2015 agreement with major powers.

Hours before a Russian state visit to Budapest on Wednesday (30 October), Hungary vetoed a joint NATO statement about Ukraine because it did not mention the “deprivation of rights” of the Hungarian minority in the neighbouring country's Transcarpathia region.

The European defence market is looking towards two sixth-generation aircraft programmes – the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Aircraft System (FCAS) and the British-led Tempest fighter project. While pressure is mounting on EU member states to pick sides, the question of whether both projects can ultimately coexist remains.

Ukraine's former pro-Western President Petro Poroshenko challenged his successor on Friday (25 October) to request the country’s accession to NATO's  Membership Action Plan, considered as the antechamber to the military alliance.

NATO defence ministers on Thursday (24 October) denounced Turkey for its military incursion in Northeast Syria, but acknowledged there was little they could do to restrain their strategically important ally.

Turkey’s recent behaviour "has put us all in a terrible situation", US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in Brussels on Thursday. He said Ankara's "unwarranted" invasion into Syria jeopardised the security gains made as the US-led coalition and allied Kurdish forces battled the Islamic State (IS) in the area in recent years.

Turkey expects that disagreements with the United States over production of F-35 jets will be overcome, its defence minister said on Wednesday (23 October), adding that Ankara remained at the centre of NATO despite criticism from allies of its incursion into Syria.

The United States and NATO cautiously welcomed on Wednesday (23 October) a German proposal for a security zone in northern Syria, though Washington's envoy to the alliance saying it should be for Europe to take charge and not US forces.

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Monday (21 October) suggested the creation of a security zone in northern Syria to protect displaced civilians and ensure that the fight continues against Islamic State militia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday (21 October) lashed out at Western states, accusing them of "standing by terrorists" in failing to support Turkey's operation against Syrian Kurdish fighters.

EU officials called Sunday (21 October) for a ceasefire in Afghanistan, saying the breakdown in US-Taliban talks presented an opportunity to push for a truce, as the US defense secretary made an unexpected visit to Kabul.

Almost five years after the start of the Saudi-led intervention, the war in Yemen still rages on. While thousands have died, one actor that has fared well: the European arms industry, write Hans Lammerant and Bram Vranken.

The EU may condemn Turkey’s military incursion into Syria, yet it also has Turkey to thank for holding back the migrant crisis. Publicly, Europe wants to send a message. Privately, it knows it cannot say too much, writes Faisal Al Yafai.

After struggling to find a common line on arms exports, Paris and Berlin reached  a compromise on Wednesday (16 October) during a bilateral ministerial meeting in the French city of Toulouse.

Turkey vowed to press ahead with its offensive in northern Syria on Tuesday (15 October) despite US sanctions and growing calls for it to stop, while Syria's Russia-backed army moved on the key city of Manbij that was abandoned by US forces.

EU foreign minister on Monday (14 October) unanimously condemned Turkey’s military action in north-eastern Syria, asking all member states to stop selling arms to Ankara. However, they stopped short of an EU-wide arms embargo that France and Germany had sought.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday (14 October) the military alliance should not lose its unity in the fight against Daesh (IS), in light of Turkey’s military operation against Kurdish militants in northeastern Syria.

After an initial outburst, French President Emmanuel Macron sought to ease tensions on Sunday (13 October) following the rejection last week of his protégée Sylvie Goulard as France's candidate for the European Commission. EURACTIV France reports.

The EU on Wednesday (9 October) demanded Turkey halt its military operation against Kurdish militants in northern Syria, telling Ankara the bloc would not pay for any so-called "safe zone" that might be created.

Four senior Democratic lawmakers said on Tuesday (8 October) they believed the Trump administration may withdraw from a treaty that allows unarmed surveillance flights over US, Russian and other territory, warning it would be a gift to Russia and undermine confidence in the US commitment to Ukraine.

A newly created Commission department dedicated to the defence and space industries has given new momentum to the EU's defence union project. Nathalie Loiseau, head of the European Parliament’s defence committee, answered questions about where the sector is heading.

A summit between Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany is expected to take place within days in an effort to settle the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. But such a summit is pointless, especially when Putin will play his role of 'нас тут нет' (we are not here), says Hanna Hopko.