Speaking on a podcast hosted by David Sacks, an entrepreneur and regular critic of U.S. policy toward Ukraine, Former U.S. President Donald Trump said, "For 20 years, I heard that if Ukraine goes into NATO, it's a real problem for Russia."
Romania was the last of the 32 NATO allies to support Rutte's candidacy, after Hungary and Slovakia endorsed Rutte on June 18.
The United States and allies are debating what to commit to Ukraine's NATO membership at the upcoming 75th anniversary summit in Washington, CNN reported on June 19. U.S. officials are reportedly facing criticism from European countries for not willing to go as far as countries closer to Russia would prefer.
Editor's note: This article has been updated in light of Mark Rutte becoming NATO secretary general on Oct. 1. "There was a joke I heard the other day," Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told the audience of a Politico event in November 2023, as the mandate of NATO Secretary General
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg endorsed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as his successor for the first time on June 18, describing him as a "very strong candidate."
Hungarian Prime Minister endorsed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's bid to be the next Secretary General of NATO, after Rutte said he supported Budapest opting out of NATO initiatives to support Ukraine, Orban announced on June 18.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte promised Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban the possibility to opt out of NATO activities in support of Ukraine if made the alliance's secretary-general, the Financial Times reported on June 18, citing its undisclosed sources.
His statement came a few days after Kyiv and Washington signed a 10-year bilateral security deal at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy, which is recognized by the parties "as supporting a bridge to Ukraine's eventual membership in NATO."
China should face consequences for its continued support of Russia amidst the ongoing war with Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on June 17.
"This is good for Europe and good for America, especially since much of this extra money is spent here in the United States," Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on June 17.
NATO countries are in discussions to deploy more nuclear weapons on standby, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the Telegraph on June 16 as Russia continues to threaten the use of nuclear weapons.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb noted that this week has favored Ukraine. He highlighted the G7 summit, the start of EU negotiations, NATO support, and Ukraine's summit, which gathered over 100 representatives. "(Ukraine is) much stronger than what it was three weeks ago, let alone three months ago," he said.
Following the death of a Polish soldier stabbed at the Polish-Belarusian, Warsaw reintroduces its buffer zone and demands that Belarus extradite the suspected attacker. Belarus joins in the second stage of Russian nuclear drills, simulating the combat use of tactical nuclear warheads, with the aim of undermining Western support for
NATO allies have "not yet agreed" on a long-term financial pledge for Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Jun 14 after a two-day meeting of the alliance's defense ministers in Brussels.
NATO officials rarely comment on the alliance's nuclear arsenal, but Jens Stoltenberg said the U.S. was modernizing its nuclear weapons stationed in Europe.
"I expect allies will agree on a leading role for NATO in coordinating and providing security assistance and training for Ukraine. I also expect allies will agree on a long-term financial pledge to provide military support," Stoltenberg said.
Diplomats of the Bucharest Nine (B9), a group of Eastern European NATO Allies, discussed a possibility of excluding Hungary from future meetings of the club, the Financial Times (FT) reported on June 11, citing people familiar with the talks.
On June 10, a Russian warplane violated Finnish airspace for the first time since Finland joined NATO last year.
NATO is considering to establish a permanent envoy position in Kyiv as part of its long-term commitment to Ukraine amid the ongoing war, Western officials and U.S. congressional aides familiar with the matter told Foreign Policy.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is scrapping plans to set up a $100 billion fund to aid Ukraine after facing rejection from alliance members, Bloomberg reported on June 7 citing people familiar with the matter.
June 6 marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when the World War II Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy. As Western leaders commemorate the event that led to Europe’s liberation from fascism, they ought to keep in mind that just five years earlier, the French socialist and future fascist
Key developments on June 4: * Biden: Peace in Ukraine doesn't mean NATO membership * NATO 'land corridors' will rush US troops to front lines of any future European war, Telegraph reports * Ukraine's use of German weapons to strike Russia will not 'contribute to escalation,' Scholz says * Russian missile attack on
"Peace looks like making sure Russia never, never, never, never occupies Ukraine. That's what peace looks like. And it doesn't mean NATO," U.S. President Joe Biden said.
There is a saying in Poland that, “No one will die for Gdansk.” No matter what kind of security guarantees Poland gets from Western countries, most Poles believe that we will still have to fend for ourselves. After all, when the Nazis invaded in 1939, Poland had security guarantees from
Warnings that the Kremlin could attack a NATO country in the near future have increased in urgency in recent months. According to The Telegraph, U.S. troops and armor would land at one of five ports in the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Turkey or Norway from where they would travel through land corridors to NATO countries bordering Ukraine.
"At one point someone said it'll take 10 years (before Russia reconstitutes its offensive capacity), but I think we're back to less than 10 years because of the industrial base that is now running in Russia," said General Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway's top general.
Romania is considering equipping Ukraine with advanced Patriot defense systems to counter Russian attacks. However, President Klaus Iohannis clarified that such a decision would require an approval from an autonomous administrative authority responsible for coordinating national defense and security activities.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will ask NATO allies to provide a minimum of 40 billion euros ($43.3 billion) in annual military funding for Ukraine, a source within NATO told Reuters on May 30.
Air defense is a "major part of the plan to defend eastern Europe from invasion," a NATO diplomat told the Financial Times. "And right now, we don't have that."
France may announce its decision next week during a visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Reuters.
Partners assured Kyiv that the Washington summit would define a specific position for Ukraine's membership in NATO, namely its irreversibility and the roadmap toward it, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said on May 29.
NATO's July summit in Washington will contain new language regarding Ukraine's membership in the alliance, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said during a briefing in Prague on May 29, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported.
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