About: Nato
US Senate committee approves Turkey sanctions bill
A US Senate committee backed legislation on Wednesday (11 December) to impose sanctions on Turkey after its offensive in Syria and purchase of a Russian S-400 missile system, seeking to push President Trump to take a harder line against Ankara.
Turkey continues to block NATO’s Eastern defence plans
Ankara has not shifted from its intentions to block the final decisions related to updating NATO's defence plan of the Poland and the Baltic States. Meanwhile, Eastern European calls for assurances of alliance commitments become more vocal.
New SPD leadership on its way to challenge Germany’s Grand Coalition
Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) officially elected Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans as the new chairmen at a national conference on Friday (6 December). There was no vote about remaining in the Grand Coalition with the CDU/CSU conservatives, but the new leadership appears to have 'declared war' on them. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Tweets of the Week: Commission Handover, NATO jokes, Malta Rule of Law
VDL Commission takes up its seat, Trump under fire as NATO leaders meet, and Rule of Law in Malta feeling the heat.
With new focus on China, NATO patches up stormy summit
NATO leaders wrapped up their acrimonious 70th-anniversary meeting in relative harmony on Wednesday (4 December), bridging a series of intense internal divisions and agreeing to focus more on the challenge of China's "growing international influence" and military might.
Did Hungary turn to the Russian Duma for support against Ukraine?
Hungary has a deep controversy with Hungary over minority rights. In this context, a heated controversy has unfolded over reports that Budapest asked the Duma, the lower chamber of Russia's parliament, for joint efforts to uphold minority rights in Ukraine.
Nobody needs NATO more than France, says Trump
US President Donald Trump weighed into the war of words on the state of NATO on Tuesday (3 December), wasting no time to hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron’s “brain death” claims. Speaking at a breakfast session alongside NATO...
Expert: Nazarbayev pushed Russia and Ukraine to meet in Paris
In a wide-ranging interview, Ariel Cohen, a US lobbyist with ties to Kazakhstan, spoke about the various international initiatives of the Central Asian country, including improving US-Russia relations, finding a solution to the Ukraine crisis, nuclear arms control and more.
NATO upgrades its ageing ‘eyes in the sky’
Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company, signed a $1 billion contract to modernise NATO’s fleet of AWACS surveillance aircraft on Wednesday (27 November), striking a more optimistic note at a time of widening cracks in the transatlantic defence alliance.
Germany pledges to raise military spending, play more active role in NATO
Germany has pledged to play a more active role in NATO with Chancellor Angela Merkel promising to raise military spending to 2% of the country’s GDP by the beginning of the 2030s. EURACTIV Germany reports.
CDU politician calls for better Franco-German ties after NATO row
Germany and France must bury their differences and pursue a constructive partnership with concrete ideas, an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after a public spat between the two European Union heavyweights over NATO.
NATO braces for the new space age
NATO foreign ministers have formally recognised outer space as the fifth military frontier alongside air, land, sea and cyber on Wednesday (20 November), in response to growing concerns over protecting satellite and navigation assets from enemy interference.
EU faces rift over enlargement policy after French ‘non’
European Union members wrangled over the rules for joining their club on Tuesday (19 November), after France triggered anger by seeking to postpone bids from Albania and North Macedonia. At the 17-18 October summit, EU heads of state and government...
Russia’s EU ambassador: The fall of the Berlin Wall was ‘a victory of common sense’
In a wide-ranging interview, Russia’s Ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov spoke about gas transit talks with Ukraine, NATO and EU enlargement, nuclear arms control, Russia’s sales of the S-400 anti-aircraft system, the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and Brexit.
Despite ‘wonderful’ meeting, Trump and Erdogan fail to resolve conflicts
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (13 November) pushed Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan to walk away from the purchase of a Russian missile defence system, calling it a “very serious challenge” to bilateral ties, even though he described a meeting between the two leaders as “wonderful.”
Macron questioning NATO in Economist interview raises eyebrows about his methods
Emmanuel Macron presented his geopolitical vision in an interview with The Economist on Thursday (7 November), and it once again attracted a wide range of criticism. By speaking of a "NATO brain death", this recent diplomatic blunder is putting the French president's partnerships at risk.
France’s Macron decries NATO ‘brain death’ ahead of anniversary
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.
Russia calls for closing UN office in Bosnia
Russia called Tuesday (5 November) for closing the office of the UN High Representative in Bosnia, claiming the senior UN official there is biased.
Sassoli in Skopje: ‘Don’t lose hope’
Visiting European Parliament President David Sassoli urged North Macedonia on Monday (4 October) not to lose hope after the recent failure of the European Council to reach a decision for opening EU accession talks.
Germany decries Iran’s move to speed up nuclear work, urges return to accord
Iran's announcement that it has developed advanced machines to speed up uranium enrichment jeopardises a 2015 accord with world powers, Germany's foreign minister said on Monday (4 November), urging Tehran to return to the pact.
Hungary blocks NATO statement on Ukraine over minority rights row
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.
Poroshenko calls on Zelenskyi to knock on NATO’s door
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.
Russia sends S-400 missile defense systems to Serbia for military drill
Russia said on Thursday (24 October) a division of its S-400 missile defense system would take part in a military drill in Serbia, underlining Moscow’s wish to keep a traditional ally on side even as Belgrade pursues links with NATO and the European Union.