In the future, according to the will of Germany’s Defense Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer, the Bundeswehr needs to take much more responsibility and fight side by side with the allies. A noble and long overdue vision. However, does Germany possess military capabilities after having focused on diplomacy for decades and no real combat situations? The idea was…
Exclusive: Donald Tusk says it would still be better for both sides if UK stayed in EU. Donald Tusk said Brexit was one of the saddest experiences of his five years as European council president. Photograph: Mikhail Palinchak/Ukrinform/Barcroft Media Brexit has been “one of the most spectacular mistakes” in the history of the EU and…
(Bloomberg) — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to “oppose steps in NATO” unless the bloc supports his fight against Syrian Kurdish militants, threatening an alliance plan to defend Baltic states against Russian aggression. Ankara has been holding up the Baltic agreement as it presses NATO to recognize the Kurdish forces as terrorists. Turkey views…
Washington (CNN)The Trump administration has moved to substantially cut its contribution to NATO’s collective budget according to several US and NATO officials, a symbolic move that comes as many continue to question President Donald Trump‘s commitment to the transatlantic alliance as he prepares to attend a summit to mark its 70th anniversary in London next week….
Jurgen Trittin has chimed in on the comment thread that followed President Macron’s words about NATO’s “cerebral death”, calling to wake up to reality and not ignore objective truths. For the time being, NATO is going through an existential crisis, being just a “shadow” of what it used to be, Jurgen Trittin, a Bundestag member…
Tzipi Hotovely ERBIL – Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s offer for assisting the Syrian Kurds has been accepted, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely has revealed. The Israeli official noted that they “are assisting them through a number of channels,” and that advocating for them in discussions with the US, as the Syrian Kurds have been affected by…
If France and Germany managed to get along, Europe would look very different—and so would the Western Balkans. This is not a good time for countries in the Western Balkans. Or for supporters of “more Europe” in general. Both have become unwitting victims of a messy falling-out between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor…
Turkey’s Syria invasion following the US withdrawal of its troops means that all bets are now off in the Middle East. Smoke billows from targets in Tel Abyad, Syria, during bombardment by Turkish forces. Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP By invading northern Syria last week, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan achieved what many thought impossible – uniting all the…
Smoke billows following Turkish bombardment on Syria’s northeastern town of Ras al-Ain in the Hasakeh province along the Turkish border on 9 October 2019. Germany said Saturday it will halt sales of weapons to Turkey over its widely criticized operation against Kurdish militias in northern Syria. Germany, along with many of its allies, has condemned…
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin after their meeting at the fort of Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, southern France, Aug. 19, 2019. BRUSSELS – French and German attempts to end the conflict in east Ukraine risk increasing tensions that were already rising in the European Union over how to handle…