These countries have shown "high aggressiveness" towards Russia and are "constantly rattling their weapons," Russia's Foreign Intelligence Director Sergey Naryshkin said on April 15.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Odesa on April 15 and visited a local military hospital alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The proposed cuts for the next fiscal year would reportedly leave $28.4 billion for all State Department activities, a 48% reduction from the 2025 budget approved by Congress.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that the end of the Eastern Bloc eliminated the threat NATO was originally created to counter, yet the alliance not only persisted but also allegedly claimed a dominant role in European security.
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin's long-term objective is to restore a Russian empire that would include parts of NATO member states.
"Ukraine is a very large European country, but it is a European country that is at war," Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said in an interview with Handelsblatt.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reaffirmed Ukraine’s desire for peace but warned against the misuse of the term. “We want to end this war this year. But it is important not to manipulate,” he said.
The meeting of the Ramstein-format coalition in Brussels comes amid growing uncertainty over U.S. support for Ukraine and efforts by European allies to close the gap as Kyiv resists Russia's ongoing invasion.
The appeal comes amid growing expectations that the Trump administration will proceed with plans to scale back American troop deployments in Eastern Europe.
"No decision has been made yet," the Pentagon said. "The U.S. commitment to NATO is strong, but the U.S. expects European allies to lead Europe's conventional defense."
U.S. forces are currently stationed across Poland, Romania, and the Baltic states to deter further Russian aggression and reassure allies in the region.
"The post about the attack on Czech soldiers is not true," Czech government spokesperson Lucie Michut Jesatkova told Reuters.
Warsaw has also for several years accused Belarus of deliberately pushing migrants into Poland in order to pressure the EU over sanctions.
Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said that Europe cannot afford a disjointed transition in defense capabilities, which could provide Russia with an opportunity to exploit any gaps in the region's security.
U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the NATO summit in The Hague in June, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on April 4, Reuters reported.
Key developments on April 3: * Russia plans to increase grouping in Ukraine by 150,000 troops in 2025, Ukrainian official says * US defense secretary to skip Ramstein summit for the first time, media reports * NATO assets may be used for peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, FT reports * 'Coalition of the Willing'
NATO's command and control structures could be used to deploy a so-called "reassurance force" to Ukraine, unnamed officials told the FT.
"As we speak right now, the United States is as active in NATO as it has ever been," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press briefing alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January and launched a new effort to reach peace between Russia and Ukraine, turning American foreign policy upside down, Europe has been hit with a clear message: the age of the U.S. as a guarantor of European security is
The joint declaration at the Washington summit last year included a commitment to "develop recommendations on NATO's strategic approach to Russia, taking into account the changing security environment."
"As for this agreement and the NATO question, there is no mention of NATO in this agreement, and there never was," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 1.
"This is a part of Finland's contribution to Europe taking greater responsibility for our own defense," Finnish President Alexander Stubb posted on X.
"In Brussels, Secretary Rubio will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting to discuss security priorities for the Alliance, including increased Allied defense investment and securing lasting peace in Ukraine," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
Key developments on March 31: * There's 'psychological deadline' for Putin to agree to Ukraine ceasefire, Trump says * Kremlin says it remains open to US talks despite Trump's reported anger at Putin * Ukraine-US talks on minerals deal ongoing, not tied to NATO membership, source says * Russia trying to bypass Ukraine's positions
As the U.S. chooses an increasingly hostile posture toward Europe, the U.K. and France have been gearing up to lead the continent's defense without Washington. French President Emmanuel Macron has coined the term "strategic autonomy," which envisions a self-sufficient Europe that can defend itself and export its agenda
The soldiers and their tracked vehicle disappeared on March 25 during an exercise at a training ground near the Lithuanian city of Pabrade, located about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border with Belarus. Pabrade hosts Camp Herkus, a U.S. military facility.
Ukrainian and U.S. government and legal teams continue discussions on the mineral deal, a source in the Presidential Office told the Kyiv Independent on March 31 as U.S. President Donald Trump is escalating his rhetoric on the agreement.
U.S. soldiers and a tracked vehicle disappeared on March 25 in a training area near the Lithuanian city of Pabrade, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Belarus.
"I don't really think about that. I don't really care," Trump said when asked what message an American takeover of Greenland would send to Russia. "Greenland's a very separate subject, very different."
If Poland wants to sustain an adequate number of reserves, the return of mandatory military service is "inevitable," Operational Commander Maciej Klisz said.
The fate of the four missing soldiers is still unknown, a NATO spokesperson clarified after Secretary General Mark Rutte said they had died. Rescue efforts are currently underway.
"I think, depending on how this fight goes, this defense can be carried out within a week or two at today's inventory levels," Dariusz Lukowski, head of Poland's National Security Bureau, said.
(Updated: )
