Editor’s note: The following piece is a personal account of the Munich Security Conference from a Kyiv Independent reporter but does not purport to reflect the views of the publication. MUNICH – For three days every year, the space in front of the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in central Munich turns
The Washington Post spoke to a number of European officials who said that they were both plotting ways to more effectively communicate with the MAGA wing of the Republican party and making preparations in case former U.S. President Donald Trump is reelected and delivers on his proposed retreat from NATO.
Stubb said that he sees three steps for Ukraine’s European and transatlantic aspirations. The first is security agreements that are currently being signed by all G7 members and 31 countries, followed by EU membership, and finally NATO membership.
Kyiv's partners "need outside-the-box thinking" regarding providing Ukraine with sufficient weaponry to repel Russia's full-scale invasion, ex-NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 17.
A bipartisan delegation of U.S. Senators will visit Hungary this week to advocate for Sweden's accession to NATO, as Hungary remains the only NATO country to not yet ratify Sweden's entry into the alliance.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that he was "deeply saddened and disturbed" by reports of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
LONDON – Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House in 2025 poses a grave threat to Europe’s security. With war in Ukraine still raging, European countries must shore up their defenses against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s revanchist aggressions before it is too late. The prospect of an
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's statement during a Brussels press conference comes days after Donald Trump, the Republican Party's hopeful for the next U.S. president, raised concerns by anti-NATO comments.
"Today, we decided to create a new NATO-Ukraine joint analysis, training, and education center in Bydgoszcz, Poland," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a press conference the day before the meeting of the NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed European allies' efforts to strengthen their own defense capabilities but said that this policy "is not an alternative to NATO" when commenting on Donald Trump's recent anti-NATO comments.
Key developments on Feb. 14: * Russian landing ship sinks in Black Sea; Ukraine says it was hit with naval drones * Stoltenberg says 18 of 31 NATO members expected to meet 2% defense spending goal * Kremlin denies Reuters report that Putin proposed ceasefire to US * Canada allocates $44 million to support
NATO’s European allies and Canada have stepped up their defense spending to record levels, but criticism about the Alliance’s members not spending enough is valid, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Feb. 14.
In a first since the end of the Cold War, Germany is expected to reach the 2% defense spending goal, a spokesperson for Germany's Defense Ministry said on Feb. 14.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith doesn’t expect NATO will offer Ukraine a membership invitation at the alliance's July summit in Washington, she said at a press conference on Feb. 13.
The number of Russian troops in the vicinity of Estonia could double from the pre-2022 figure of 19,000, as Russia undertakes a massive reform of its military, Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service warned in a report published on Feb. 13.
"All I can say is while (Donald) Trump was president nobody invaded anybody. I think the point here is to, in his way, to get people to pay," Senator Lindsey Graham said.
Romania's Defense Ministry said that jets stationed at an airbase near Fetesti, some 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, were summoned in response to perform reconnaissance.
Carsten Breuer, the inspector general of the German Armed Forces, said that Russia has both the military potential and intention to extend its aggression beyond Ukraine.
"I don't expect a big leap forward on that mainly because of the likely situation on the ground," U.K. Ambassador to NATO David Quarrey told Politico, adding that London is "absolutely convinced that Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO."
The 19th Ramstein summit will be held at NATO headquarters in Brussels a day before the alliance’s defense ministers meet.
Senior U.S. lawmakers asked Hungary on Feb. 1 to "immediately approve" Sweden's NATO membership bid, warning of "permanent damage" to the relationship between Budapest and Washington, according to Reuters.
Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands approved a deal aimed at speeding up the process of cross-border movement of troops and weapons along one of the main corridors leading from the North Sea to NATO's eastern flank, Reuters reported on Jan. 30.
NATO should extend an invitation to Ukraine at the Washington Summit in July, as it could serve as “an instrument” to ending Russia’s war, the alliance’s former Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said on Jan. 30 in Kyiv. “I know that (NATO's invitation to Ukraine) would be a
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Finland is "now going to have problems" because it joined NATO, on the same morning that he claimed not to be interested in fighting any NATO members.
In total, 78% of Ukrainians would vote to join the EU if a referendum were held now and 77% are in favor of joining NATO, according to a poll released by the Rating Sociology Group on Nov. 29.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg closed day one of the defense ministerial meeting on Oct. 11, welcoming allies’ newly pledged military aid for Ukraine – which includes F-16 fighter jets, crucial air defense systems for winter, and much-needed ammunition. Speaking at a press conference at Brussels’ NATO headquarters, Stoltenberg applauded the
Ukrainian leaders and NATO defense ministers have convened in Brussels on Oct. 11 for a two-day summit to mobilize allied support for Kyiv ahead of the coming winter. In a surprise visit, President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at NATO headquarters this morning as alliance officials prepare for the 16th Ramstein-format meeting
Throughout Russia's brutal war, Ukraine has actively sought assurances from NATO regarding its future membership in the Alliance. Why does Ukraine aspire to be a part of NATO? What are the prospects for this accession, and how might NATO also benefit from it?
Editor’s Note: Soldiers in this story are stationed on the front and are identified only by their first name due to the nature of the information they are sharing. KHARKIV OBLAST – Fighting throughout Ukraine is grueling, even for hardened veterans. For inexperienced troops recently plucked from civilian life, it's
Despite more than two-thirds of NATO members supporting a path for Ukraine into the alliance, Ukraine got a flat no. The alliance’s decision at the 2023 Vilnius summit was both unsurprising and a disappointment. Opposition primarily from Washington and Berlin dashed any hopes of a clear invite for Ukraine,
Episode #16 of our weekly video podcast “This Week in Ukraine” is dedicated to Ukrainian culture, the important role it plays in war, and why it has been a target of Russian dictators for decades.
Ukraine collected many promises at Vilnius, except the one it craved the most. In a joint communique, the 31 NATO member states said Ukraine's future is in the alliance, which it will one day join. They got rid of the need for a Membership Action Plan, effectively reducing the number
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