NATO Archives - Defence Monitor

24 Jan

Rubio speaks with NATO secretary general about Trump’s ‘immediate foreign policy priorities’

Washington, Jan 24 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte "to detail President Trump's immediate foreign policy priorities," according to a readout from spokesperson Tammy Bruce. The call came ahead of remarks from President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday calling for NATO allies to increase their defence spending to five per cent of their GDP. "As we restore common sense in America, we're moving quickly to bring back strength and peace and stability abroad," Trump said while speaking from the White House on Thursday. "I'm also…

22 Mar

Ukrainian president, senior NATO official meet on support for Kiev

Kiev, March 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Robert Bauer, chair of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Military Committee, discussed support for Kiev during a bilateral meeting, the presidential press service reported. Zelensky on Thursday thanked Bauer for his visit, describing it as a strong signal of support for Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported. He informed Bauer about Ukraine's priority defence needs, in particular the necessity for additional air defence systems. Zelensky and Bauer discussed opportunities to strengthen the alliance's coordination role in supporting Ukraine, in particular in enhancing its defence capabilities. Besides, the parties exchanged their views on…

19 Jan

NATO to conduct largest military drills in decades

Brussels, Jan 19, The NATO is set to hold its largest exercise in decades, with nearly 90,000 forces slated to participate, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe Christopher Cavoli said. The exercise, dubbed "Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024," is scheduled to commence next week and will extend through May. All NATO's 31 members and Sweden will participate in the maneuvers, Cavoli told a press briefing on Thursday in Brussels following a two-day NATO Military Chiefs of Defence meeting as quoted by Xinhua news agency report. Regarding the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, said…

06 Oct

US shoots down Turkish drone approaching troops in Syria

Washington, Oct 6, The US military shot down an armed Turkish drone as it came in proximity to American forces in Syria, the Department of Defense said. Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said during a press briefing that commanders assessed that on Thursday a Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew "less than a half kilometer from US forces" based in Syria, reports Xinhua news agency. US. F-16 fighters subsequently shot down the UAV "in self-defense" as the drone was deemed "a potential threat", Ryder said, adding that the Pentagon had "no indication that Türkiye was intentionally targeting US forces". Defense…

30 Sep

NATO must be quantum ready: Stoltenberg

Copenhagen, Sep 30, The NATO has inaugurated a new quantum technology centre called the Deep Tech Lab Quantum (DTL Q) in Copenhagen aimed at keeping the defence alliance at the forefront of cutting-edge technology. During his brief visit to Denmark, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the Copenhagen Quantum 2023 Conference hosted by the Niels Bohr Institute, reports Xinhua news agency. Stoltenberg gave a keynote speech about Denmark's "leading role" in the field of quantum technology development and the importance for NATO of being "quantum ready". "Different sectors must work together in the development…

23 Sep

Ukraine cannot become NATO member until conflict ends: Stoltenberg

Kiev, Sep 23, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said Ukraine cannot become a bloc member until the end of the conflict. He made the remark during a public lecture at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Ukrinform reported on Friday. Stoltenberg said, "The fact that the war is in an active stage does not allow us to invite them (Ukrainians) tomorrow or today." At the same time, Stoltenberg suggested that Ukraine may become a NATO member after the cessation of the hostilities in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Xinhua news agency reported. "These are interrelated issues -- NATO membership,…

03 Aug

Poland accuses Belarus of violating airspace

Warsaw, Aug 3, Poland has accused Belarus of violating its airspace, saying more troops will be deployed at the countries' border. According to authorities in Warsaw, two Belarusian helicopters allegedly violated the Polish airspace during training exercises on Tuesday, CNN reported. In a statement on Wednesday, the Polish Defence Ministry said Minsk had informed Warsaw about the exercise, but a border crossing took place in the eastern Bialowieza region at a “very low altitude, making detection by radar systems difficult”. The border region is located south of the Suwalki gap -- a thin strip of land between Poland and Lithuania…

22 Jul

Turkey to monitor steps taken by Sweden before ratifying its NATO bid: Erdogan

Ankara, July 22, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that his country would monitor Sweden's counterterrorism steps before ratifying its NATO bid at the parliament. "We will follow the (implementation of) promises and guarantees given by the Swedish side... and take action according to the steps Sweden takes," Erdogan told reporters on his flight back to Turkey on Friday, according to the state-run TRT broadcaster. "It will be in Sweden's favour if the Nordic country takes concrete steps in the fight against terrorist organisations and the extradition of terrorists," the President noted. The NATO accession process requires the approval…

12 Jul

NATO summit opens in Vilnius amid protests, criticism

Vilnius, July 12, Leaders of the NATO gathered here for a two-day summit that seeks to address "the most pressing challenges" facing the alliance amid protests and growing criticism. Strengthening defence and bridging differences on the Ukraine war are on top of the summit's agenda. The alliance aims to adopt three regional defence plans backed by 300,000 troops on high readiness, Xinhua news agency reported. NATO also wants its member states to agree on "a more ambitious" defence investment pledge to spend a minimum of two per cent of their GDP annually on defence. After "nine consecutive years of increased…

08 Jul

Erdogan calls on Sweden to ‘keep promises’ for NATO bid

Istanbul, July 8, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reaffirmed that his country would not green-light Sweden's accession to NATO unless the Nordic nation adopted a firm stance against "terror groups". "How can a state that doesn't distance itself from terror organizations contribute to NATO?" Xinhua news agency quoted Erdogan as saying at the graduation ceremony of the National Defense University in Istanbul on Friday. He said his government expected Sweden to abide by its promise of taking into account Turkey's security concerns. The President further said that he would bring that to allies' attention at the NATO summit held…