NATO

Russia cannot block Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, US Secretary of Defence says

No third country has a veto on Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told a briefing on a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, when asked about Russian…

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Russia shuts mission to NATO in spy row retaliation

Russia said on Monday it would halt the activities of its diplomatic mission to NATO after the Western military alliance expelled eight Russians saying they were spies. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said staff…

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Despite French push, EU leaders divided over common defence strategy

European Union leaders failed to overcome divisions over whether to develop an independent defence force despite anger at the chaotic withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan and new impetus from…

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Serbs unblock roads in Kosovo as NATO moves to end car plate row

JARINJE, Kosovo - Serbs removed trucks and cars used to block the border with Kosovo on Saturday as NATO troops moved in under a European Union mediated deal to end…

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Ukraine holds military drills with U.S. forces, NATO allies

Ukraine began joint military exercises with U.S. and other NATO troops on Monday, at a time when neighbouring Russia and Belarus have been holding large-scale drills that alarmed the West.…

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NATO calls on Russia to be transparent with military exercises

NATO's secretary general called on Russia on Friday to be open about its "Zapad-2021" military exercises and the troop numbers involved as alarm grows in Poland, the Baltics and Ukraine…

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NATO allies struggle to keep Kabul airport open for aid after withdrawal

NATO allies are struggling to ensure that Afghanistan's main gateway, Kabul airport, remains open for urgently needed humanitarian aid flights next week when they end their evacuation airlifts and turn…

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NATO allies press for more time to fly people out of Kabul

BRUSSELS, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Several NATO countries pressed on Friday for evacuations from Kabul to continue beyond the current U.S. deadline of Aug. 31 because so many people seeking…

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NATO pledges to speed evacuations from Afghanistan as criticism mounts

More than 18,000 people have been flown out of Kabul since the Taliban took over Afghanistan's capital, a NATO official said on Friday, pledging to redouble evacuation efforts as criticism…

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Taliban say they want peace, will respect women’s rights under Islamic law

KABUL, Aug 17 (Reuters) - The Taliban held their first official news conference in Kabul on Tuesday since the shock seizure of the city, declaring they wanted peaceful relations with…

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European Parliament calls for stronger EU-NATO relations

MEPs called for a stronger strategic partnership between the EU and the Atlantic Alliance. “A reinvigorated strategic partnership between the EU and NATO is essential to meet the security challenges…

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Russian navy conducts live fire exercise in Black Sea as Ukraine, NATO drill

Russian warships have carried out a live fire training exercise in the Black Sea, the country's Black Sea fleet said on Thursday, as Ukraine and NATO countries held military drills…

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Kremlin says NATO membership for Ukraine would be ‘red line’

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Ukrainian membership of NATO would be a "red line" for Moscow and that it was worried by talk that Kyiv may one day be…

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UPDATED: At NATO, Biden says defence of Europe a “sacred obligation”

U.S. President Joe Biden told fellow NATO leaders on Monday the defence of Europe, Turkey and Canada was a "sacred obligation" for the United States, a marked shift from his…

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Decisions for NATO’s first summit with Biden

NATO leaders hold their first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday, aiming to repair transatlantic ties after his predecessor Donald Trump said the Western military alliance was "obsolete".…

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UPDATED: Russia to deploy military units near border, tells U.S. to expect ‘uncomfortable’ signals

Russia said on Monday it would send what it described as 'uncomfortable' signals to the United States ahead of a summit between the two countries' leaders next month and announced…

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Diplomats say Turkey pushed NATO allies into softening outrage over Belarus plane

Turkey pushed NATO allies into watering down an official reaction to the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger plane and the detention of a dissident journalist on Sunday, two…

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NATO attempts to appease Serbian concerns over Croatian troops in Kosovo

NATO sought on Monday to assuage Serbian concerns over the deployment of Croatian troops to Kosovo, stressing they were bound by exactly the same rules as all other troops of…

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Biden to join eastern European NATO states summit, focus seen on Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden will join a virtual summit of eastern European NATO states held in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Monday, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said, with a focus…

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Armenia’s ‘genocide’ declaration set to further damage US frayed ties with NATO ally Turkey

April 24 (Reuters) - Following are reactions to the statement by U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday formally recognising the 1915 massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.…

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No let down in tension between Russia and Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine held simultaneous military drills on Wednesday as NATO foreign and defence ministers began emergency discussions on a massing of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. Washington and…

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NATO forces to leave together from Afghanistan

A coalition of NATO-led troops in Afghanistan will leave the country in coordination with a planned U.S. withdrawal by Sept. 11, Washington's top diplomat said on Wednesday, ahead of a…

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Ukraine says joint military drills with NATO to begin in a few months

Ukraine's armed forces on Saturday said joint military drills with NATO troops would begin in a few months' time, a step that could stoke tensions with Moscow which has expressed…

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UK says it is gravely concerned about Russian military activity threatening Ukraine

British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Friday Britain was gravely concerned about Russian military activity which threatened Ukraine. "I reaffirmed UK support for Ukraine’s sovereignty & territorial integrity in…

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US pledges support to Ukraine as tensions escalate in Donbass

The Kremlin said on Friday that any deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would lead to further tensions near Russia's borders and force Moscow to take extra measures to ensure its own security.…

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U.S.’s Blinken to turn to Europe next week, attend NATO ministerial

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Brussels next week to meet with NATO foreign ministers and European Union officials, the U.S. Department of State announced as the Biden…

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Russia warns it will ‘have to react’ if Bosnia moves to join NATO

Russia will react if Bosnia takes steps towards joining NATO because Moscow would perceive this as a hostile act, the Russian embassy in Bosnia said in a statement. Bosnia has…

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NATO Operation Sea Guardian focused patrols return to Central Mediterranean

The flagship Hellenic Navy frigate Salamis and the Croatian Navy missile boat Dubrovnik, supported by aircraft and submarines from Greece, Italy and Turkey, deployed to the Central Mediterranean as part…

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Photo Story: US strategic bomber training flight in Lithuania

A handout photo made available by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence shows the US Air Force's strategic bomber B-1B Lancer (C) escorted by Italian Air force Eurofighters Typhoon during training…

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U.S. reassures Turkey over executions after Erdogan calls response ‘a joke’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday reassured Ankara that Washington blames the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) for the executions of 13 kidnapped Turks in northern Iraq, after Turkey called…

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In NATO debut, Biden’s Pentagon aims to rebuild trust damaged by Trump

President Joe Biden's administration will use a NATO defense gathering this week to begin what is expected to be a years-long effort to rebuild trust with European allies shaken by…

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NATO Secretary-General calls for U.S. election outcome to be respected

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday called the violent protests in Washington "shocking scenes" and said the outcome of the "democratic" U.S. election must be…

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NATO urged to adapt to global, not just Russian, threats

NATO must significantly broaden its scope to help deal with climate change, future pandemics and terrorism while focusing on new security threats from China, a new high-level report commissioned by…

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China says ready to talk to NATO, urges correct outlook

China hopes NATO will adopt the correct outlook toward the country and stands ready to engage in dialogue with the group, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said during a regular briefing on Tuesday. She was reacting to a…

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Photo Story: NATO military exercises TUMAK-20 in Poland

Soldiers of the 16th Pomeranian Mechanized Division with NATO allies during TUMAK-20 exercise in Orzysz training ground, Orzysz, north Poland. This is the first exercise in the region since 1992…

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Global powers push to end Nagorno-Karabakh fighting

Armenia's president headed to Brussels for talks with the European Union and NATO military alliance on Wednesday in a renewed drive to end the heaviest fighting since the 1990s over…

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Turkey defies EU, US and NATO – Greek media

As the European Union sent out another strongly worded statement on Friday regarding Turkey’s infringements in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey continued on its path of defiance to the West with the reported missile…

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Turkey to conduct seismic survey in eastern Mediterranean

Turkey's navy has issued an advisory late Sunday saying that the Turkish ship Oruc Reis will carry out a seismic survey in the eastern Mediterranean over the next ten days,…

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NATO chief calls for ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Monday for a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh as the death toll rose during fighting in the breakaway enclave in the South Caucasus. "It is extremely…

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Photo Story: The Silver Arrow exercise in Latvia

Over 3,000 troops and 200 vehicles from 12 NATO Allies took part in exercise Silver Arrow in Latvia this week. The multinational exercise, which wrapped up on 3 October, provided…

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Greece and Turkey set up ‘hotline’ to defuse dispute – NATO

Greece and Turkey have set up a mechanism to avoid accidental clashes in the Eastern Mediterranean, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, part of efforts to defuse a dispute…

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Moscow willing to mediate between Azerbaijan and Armenia, conflict causes rift in NATO

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow was willing to host the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan for talks, a ministry statement cited him as saying. He said…

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Talks between Turkey and Greece to avoid military escalation postponed

Talks between Turkish and Greek officials at NATO headquarters on how to avoid military escalation in the eastern Mediterranean have been postponed by two days to Sept. 10, Turkish Defence…

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Greece and Turkey agree to talks to avoid ‘accidental’ clashes in Eastern Med – NATO

NATO allies Greece and Turkey have agreed to talks to avoid accidental clashes in the Eastern Mediterranean, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday. “Following my discussions with Greek and…

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Russia ready to use force if needed in Belarus to support Lukashenko

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday the Kremlin had set up a “reserve police force” to support Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, although it would not be deployed unless unrest…

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NATO chief says Lukashenko must respect fundamental rights

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday to respect fundamental rights and said it would be unjustified to use the defence alliance as an excuse…

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Photo Story: Swedish Armed Forces beefs up presence on Gotland

An armoured vehicle and an aircraft of the Swedish Armed Forces within a 'high readiness action' that was initiated by the Swedish Armed Forces in the Baltic Sea region, in…

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Lukashenko orders army to defend Belarus’ borders

Claims by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that "foreign powers" are organising a build-up of troops on the country's border are baseless, says NATO. Dressed in military fatigues, the president said…

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Russia denies paying Afghan militants to kill NATO troops

Russia has rejected as "baseless" accusations that it offered Taliban-linked militants rewards to kill US and other NATO troops in Afghanistan. The New York Times and Washington Post cited US…

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NATO to investigate Mediterranean incident between French, Turkish warships

NATO will investigate French accusations that Turkey's navy failed to respond to an allied call to inspect a vessel this month in the Mediterranean, the alliance chief said on Thursday,…

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Trump confirms reduction of US troops in Germany

President Donald Trump said on Monday he would cut the number of U.S. troops in Germany to 25,000, faulting the close U.S. ally for failing to meet NATO's defense spending target and accusing…

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NATO chief warns West could not ignore the rise of China

The head of the NATO military alliance said on Wednesday that the West could not ignore the rise of China and so it was important that the United Kingdom…

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Photo Story: RAF Typhoons scrambled in Lithuania to intercept Russian aircraft

A handout picture provided by the British Royal Air Force shows a Russian Coot A aircraft (top) being intercepted by RAF Typhoons from Siauliai Air Base, over Lithuania, 02 June…

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One body recovered from sea after Canadian military helicopter crashes off Greece

A Canadian helicopter with six people that was engaged in North Atlantic Treaty Organization exercises off the coast of Greece disappeared and search-and-rescue efforts were under way, the Canadian Armed…

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Spain army requests international assistance to fight coronavirus pandemic

The Spanish army has requested international assistance to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which is now expanding at a faster rate than in Italy. “The Armed Forces of Spain are acting…

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NATO calls on Russia, Syria to halt Idlib offensive

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia and Syria on Friday to halt their Idlib offensive and said the military alliance stood in solidarity with member state Turkey, which lost 33…

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NATO to hold extraordinary meeting after attack on Turkish soldiers

Following Turkey's request, NATO will hold an extraordinary meeting Friday over attacks to Turkish soldiers in Idlib, north-western Syria. Late Thursday, at least 33 Turkish soldiers were martyred and tens…

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