New Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht visits German troops in Lithuania. Germany’s new Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said Sunday that NATO allies were willing to discuss a raft of demands put forward by Russia, which has massed troops along the Ukrainian border, but would not allow Moscow to “dictate” to the alliance or its partners. Lambrecht’s…
The relations between the European Union (EU)–Russia persistently provoke hostility as illustrated by the natural gas crisis across Europe in October and November, and now the deployment of forces by Russia at the Ukraine border. The West has labelled Russia’s movement as aggressive actions; however, the Russians have denied such accusations by claiming they are…
Britain and its allies are “highly unlikely” to send troops to defend Ukraine if Russia invades the country, the UK’s defence secretary has said. “We shouldn’t kid people we would,” Ben Wallace told the Spectator magazine. “The Ukrainians are aware of that.” Russia has moved thousands of troops near Ukraine’s eastern borders, leading Western powers…
The Kremlin has published a draft of its security demands vis-à-vis NATO and Washington. The proposals, which were submitted to NATO and U.S. officials earlier this week, call for sweeping concessions and guarantees from what Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov previously referred to as the “collective West.” The document outlines two distinct legal agreements;…
President Biden’s virtual meeting Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin might be thought of as a final check-up before Russian troops invade Ukraine. Biden has displayed nothing but weakness since taking office. Even his threats of “consequences” sound weak. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, sounded bolder than the U.S. president when he threatened to…
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday heads to Paris and EU and NATO headquarters, with Russia tensions and climate in the spotlight for his first foreign trip since he took office this week. Germany’s new leader has pledged continuity with his predecessor Angela Merkel, who stepped down Wednesday after 16 years in power. Scholz took…
Macron called for a united Europe, with France set to assume the rotating EU presidency. He voiced distrust in the UK government and said he didn’t want to “politicize” sport ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics. With France set to start its six-month stint in the rotating EU presidency, Emmanuel Macron spoke on Thursday of…
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is warning that the U.S.-led military organization must prepare for the worst as concern mounts that Russia could be preparing to invade Ukraine RIGA, Latvia — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned Tuesday that the U.S.-led military organization must prepare for the worst as concern mounts that Russia could be…
Putin warned NATO that deploying troops or advanced missiles to Ukraine would cross a “red line.” The Russian leader said Moscow would be forced to take action while boasting about Russia’s hypersonic missiles. Hypersonic missiles are designed to be virtually unstoppable, and can fly at least five times the speed of sound. Russian President Vladimir…
Moscow believes that Kiev will use the weapons in provocations along the Ukrainian-Russian border. The Russian government has expressed anger at NATO efforts to supply Ukraine’s military with modern, high-tech weapons, arguing that those weapons would be used to provoke a conflict with Moscow. The outcry comes during a period of heightened tensions between Russia…