The European Union and NATO must strengthen cooperation to protect critical energy infrastructure from attacks, which pose a growing threat to European stability. The Kremlin, with its history of weaponizing energy, remains a prime suspect. NATO must properly secure the Baltic Sea — the so-called NATO lake. The Baltic states achieved
The damage comes amid a series of recent disruptions to undersea telecom and power cables in the Baltic Sea. Western experts and officials have accused Russia of engaging in hybrid warfare against countries supporting Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Military Committee Chair Giuseppe Cavo Dragone discussed enhancing coordination of military aid under the Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine framework, a command plan focused on allocating and managing military support.
President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine's NATO accession could be delayed "for years or decades," raising the question of how the country would defend itself.
"We must do all that we can to support Ukraine's defense," U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Feb. 3. Starmer pledged to ramp up pressure on Russia in order to "crush Putin's war machine."
A U.S. Justice Department investigation found that Russia funneled billions of dollars through American banks to Turkey in 2022, using the Akkuyu nuclear power plant project as cover to evade sanctions, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
NATO Chief Mark Rutte also insisted Ukraine was not losing the war against Russia.
"It will be a signal that it is not for Russia to decide who should be in NATO and who should not, but for the United States of America to decide. I think this is a great victory for Trump."
Polish and other allied aircraft were quickly mobilized on Feb. 1 in response to a large-scale missile attack by Russia on western Ukraine, Poland's Armed Forces reported on X.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Gitanas Nauseda warned that a peace settlement without proper deterrents would allow Russia to consolidate its forces and prepare for further military action.
Half of Poles believe Ukraine should not join NATO or the EU until the issue of exhuming Volyn massacre victims is resolved, according to a new poll published on Jan. 30.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, concerns over the security of energy and communication infrastructure in the Baltic Sea intensified. Initially, focus was placed on the threat of hybrid attacks from Russia. However, it became evident that Russian military vessels and so-called "research" ships were actively mapping the
"Allies are on track to deliver on the pledge made at the Washington summit," a NATO press statement said following a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Jan. 29.
In times of war, the fundamental questions of survival, morality, and identity not only dominate the discourse but also expose the fissures in global political ideologies. Amid the clamor of media narratives and entrenched partisan frameworks, a few voices manage to rise above the fray, offering incisive critiques and grappling
"It was necessary to exchange (nuclear arms) for real security guarantees, and at the time, that was only NATO. And to be honest, today, it is only NATO," President Zelensky said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Foglio.
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys reportedly described the shift as part of a "new era. " Vilnius committed to spending between 5% and 6% of its GDP on defense annually until at least 2030. Estonia followed suit, pledging to raise defense spending from 3.7% of GDP to 5%.
Trump's territorial ambitions and disregard for international norms are "serious, and potentially very dangerous," a senior European Official told the Financial Times.
The State Department described arms sales and transfers as "important U.S. foreign policy tools with potential long-term implications for regional and global security."
The response comes after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko criticized NATO's 2008 Bucharest Summit declaration, calling it "catastrophic for European security."
Moscow sees a ban on Ukraine’s entry to NATO as a key condition in resolving the Russia-Ukraine war, the pro-Kremlin news agency Interfax reported on Jan. 24, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
"The intervention of NATO troops in Ukraine is categorically unacceptable for Russia, it will turn into uncontrolled escalation," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed.
NATO Chief Mark Rutte said on Jan. 23 that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no authority to influence NATO's future membership decisions.
Key developments on Jan. 23: * Russian forces suspected of killing 6 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast * Ukrainian soldiers near Velyka Novosilka at risk of encirclement, spokesperson says * Zelensky clarifies comment on 200,000 peacekeepers, says figure depends on Ukrainian army size * NATO chief urges US to keep arming Ukraine, pledges
"If this new Trump administration is willing to keep on supplying Ukraine, the bill will be paid by the Europeans," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Russia lacks the manpower for a big breakthrough in Ukraine, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli said during a discussion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 21.
"Everything depends on the United States. If Trump is ready to see Ukraine in NATO, we will be in NATO, everyone will be in favor. If President Trump is not ready to see us in NATO, we will not be in NATO," President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists in Davos.
Intelligence officials in the U.S. and Europe have suggested that recent incidents damaging critical cables in the Baltic Sea were accidental, according to a Washington Post report. Western geostrategic self-deception has overly emphasized fears of escalation and cornering Russia. It would be naïve to assume that the repeated cutting
Amid a series of incidents that have damaged critical cables in the Baltic Sea, intelligence services in the U.S. and Europe are increasingly convinced that accidents led to the incidents, according to a new report by the Washington Post on Jan. 19.
"We're the largest NATO partner in Europe. We'll obviously have a role to play," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Jan. 18 when asked about the possibility of sending troops to monitor a ceasefire in Ukraine.
A French maritime patrol aircraft was the target of intimidation tactics over the Baltic Sea overnight on Jan. 17, after the aircraft was locked onto by the radar of a Russian ground-to-air defense system, France's Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on social media.
NATO has taken over some responsibilities in coordinating aid for Ukraine from the U.S. with Washington's consent, ensuring a stable support mechanism going forward, NATO Military Committee Chief Admiral Rob Bauer said on Jan. 16.
Russia attacked Ukraine using cruise and ballistic missiles on Jan. 15, targeting critical infrastructure in several oblasts.
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