Defence and security Archives

Greece looks for EU support this week in tough upcoming talks with Turkey after securing a diplomatic boost from the visiting US secretary of state.

Last month marked the seventy-fifth year after the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Today, on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, we call for a European leap forward in creating conditions to achieve security in the twenty-first century, write seven EU lawmakers.

Since the 1990s, European infrastructure has been developed purely for civilian purposes, but in recent years military aspects have gained in importance as they could fill funding gaps for dual-use infrastructure projects. Rail Baltica, a 870-kilometer-long high-speed rail line from Tallinn …

A Bulgarian court on Monday (21 September) sentenced two Lebanese men in their absence to life in prison over a deadly 2012 bus bomb attack on Israeli tourists at the country's Burgas airport.

The United States will sanction more than two dozen people and entities involved in Iran’s nuclear, missile and conventional arms programs, putting teeth behind UN sanctions on Tehran that Washington argues have resumed despite the opposition of allies and adversaries.

Belarus will close its borders with EU neighbours Poland and Lithuania and step up security measures at the Ukrainian frontier, President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Thursday (17 September).

The United States plans to sell as many as seven major weapons systems, including mines, cruise missiles and drones to Taiwan, four people familiar with the discussions said, as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on China.

The head of Iran's atomic agency said Sunday (13 September) that 1,044 centrifuges were active at the Fordow uranium enrichment plant, in line with steps to reduce its commitments to the nuclear deal.

France has postponed a visit to Moscow next week by its foreign and armed forces ministers as European powers seek answers from Russia to Germany's findings that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned.

A special meeting of NATO ambassadors on Friday (4 September) condemned the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as an "unacceptable breach of international law" and announced “consultations on further steps regarding Russia". It, however, stopped short of sanctions.

Athens denied on Thursday (3 September) a statement by NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that Greece and Turkey had agreed to technical talks to defuse tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greek diplomatic sources said the only way to de-escalate was for …

Greece is in talks with France and other countries over arms purchases to boost its armed forces, according to a government official, as tensions grow over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean region. A day earlier, Greece’s finance minister said the …

EU defence ministers agreed at an informal meeting in Berlin on Wednesday (26 August) to work closer together militarily and develop a common strategic culture, highlighting the growing need for Europe's common defence policy at a time of escalating challenges in the bloc's neighbourhood.

The EU has suspended training in Mali after the military coup this month that removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita from power, officials said on Wednesday (26 August), while Germany acknowledged that some perpetrators had been trained in Europe.

Numerous Chinese and US military exercises, Taiwan missiles tracking Chinese fighters and plummeting China-US ties make for a heady cocktail of tension that is raising fears of conflict touched off by a crisis over Taiwan.

The second half of 2020 will be crucial for a range of European defence initiatives. It will also be crunch-time for Europeans to make yet another attempt at sorting out security matters on the global stage. Below, we update you on …

After the latest round of nuclear disarmament talks on Tuesday (18 August), the United States and Russia remain at odds over several key issues, but open the door an inch towards a possibly temporary extension of the New START Treaty, …

Taiwan unveiled a T$42.1 billion ($1.4 billion) increase for next year’s planned defence spending on Thursday (13 August), as China announced details of its latest combat drills near the democratic island.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Prague on Tuesday (11 August), public TV footage showed, to open a five-day visit to central Europe with a hefty agenda including China's role in 5G network construction.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday (5 August) that the United States had made progress with Russia on nuclear arms control recently and hopes China will decide to join the discussions.

Serbia has bought a new generation of medium-range, radar-guided surface-to-air missiles from China in a new sign of deepening cooperation between Beijing and Belgrade.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper outlined plans on Wednesday (29 July) to take thousands of US troops out of Germany by shifting some of the forces to Italy and Belgium, ending weeks of uncertainty over US troop withdrawal strategy in Europe.

Better cybersecurity standards for critical infrastructure, doubling down on tackling terrorism and organized crime, and preparing the bloc for emerging threats in "real and digital" environments, dominated the European Commission's new EU Security Union strategy, presented on Friday (24 July). "With …

Most headlines on the EU budget deal will focus on the response to Covid-19. But the new budget will include billions for new EU defence initiatives, writes Niklas Novaky.