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☆ The Kremlin is accused of waging a 'shadow war' against the West with incidents of Russian sabotage on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Daniel Kochis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If true, the loss of a Polish shopping center by means of Russian arson would be shocking on its own. As NATO advances toward the July summit, it's become clear that more comprehensive discussions on addressing the Russian sabotage campaign must take place. Some of the earliest identified acts of Russian sabotage occurred in 2014 at ammunition depots in the Czech Republic killing two and causing $42.5 million in damage. Bulgaria has played a crucial role in supplying ammunition and shells to Ukrainian forces, especially in the early stages of the war. Matthias Merz/picture alliance via Getty ImagesWeapons and training facilities aiding Ukrainian forces are frequent targets.

Persons: —, Donald Tusk, MAXIM SHEMETOV, Kaja Kallas, it's, Hannah Beier, Ozempic, Abrams, Matthias Merz, Russia, John MacDougall, Daniel Kochis Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters Estonia's, West, NATO, Scranton Army, BAE Systems, Denmark's Novo Nordisk, BAE, US Army, Getty Images, Energy, NATO Pipeline System, Deutsche Bahn, Investigators, DB, Getty, Kremlin, Ukraine, Center, Hudson Institute, United Locations: Polish, Poland, Wroclaw, Lithuania, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Estonia, Czech Republic, Vrbětice, Bulgaria, Scranton, Pennsylvania, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Norwegian, Baltic, Bellheim, Germany, Czech, Europe, Berlin, France, Washington, Eurasia, United States, NATO

☆ A few NATO countries are lobbying the rest to be bolder when it comes to sending their own soldiers to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewSome NATO countries are encouraging their allies to be bolder when it comes to sending their own soldiers to Ukraine. Many NATO countries have aided Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, by providing weaponry and training of troops. However, some Western and Ukrainian officials believe that training Ukrainian soldiers on their own territory would be more efficient, the FT reported. Instructors from the Norwegian Home Guard train alongside Ukrainian soldiers in Norway in August 2023. Kallas said that even if NATO soldiers were attacked by Russia while in Ukraine, it wouldn't automatically trigger Article 5, NATO's collective defense clause.

Persons: —, Kaja Kallas, Jonathan Nackstrand, Kallas, It's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kaja, Andrew Kravchenko Kallas, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Antoine Gyori, Ingrida Šimonytė Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Financial Times, Norwegian Home Guard, Getty, Ukraine, Estonia's, AP, Russia, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Norway, AFP, Europe, Zhytomyr, France, Western, Lithuanian

☆ NATO member Estonia is 'seriously' discussing sending troops to fill non-combat roles in Ukraine, security advisor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewEstonia has been "seriously" discussing sending troops to Ukraine in roles positioned away from the front lines, per a national security official. Advertisement"Discussions are ongoing," Roll told Breaking Defense. Breaking Defense reported that Roll made these comments on Friday, just days after the country's defense chief, Gen. Martin Herem, told the outlet that Estonia had internally talked about sending troops to Ukraine. Related storiesEstonia is one of the geographically closest NATO members to Russia, with an eastern border shared with the Russian regions Pskov and Leningrad. AdvertisementThat's about 1.6% of its total GDP, more than any other nation that has supplied Ukraine with aid.

Persons: —, Madis, it's, Roll, Martin Herem, Herem, Emmanuel Macron, Ingrida Šimonytė Organizations: Service, Defense, Business, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Breaking Defense, NATO, Lithuanian, Financial Times, Kyiv, Kiel Institute Locations: Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, Pskov, Leningrad, Ukraine Tallinn, Baltic States, NATO, Kyiv, Europe, Finland

Washington Approves $228 Million in US Military Aid to the Three Baltic States, Estonia SaysEstonia's defense officials say the U.S. Congress has passed a bill that involves a total of $228 million in military and defense aid to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this year under the Baltic Security Initiative

Persons: Estonia's Organizations: Washington, Aid, . Congress, Baltic Security Locations: Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

☆ Russia is returning to its Cold War posture with plans to increase troops along its NATO borders, Lithuania's PM warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia plans to increase its troops along its border with NATO, Lithuania's prime minister said. Ingrida Šimonytė said Russia is returning to a Cold War posture and Europe needs to be prepared. AdvertisementRussia is returning to its Cold War posture and is preparing to seriously grow the number of troops that it has along its shared borders with NATO, Lithuania's prime minister warned. Ingrida Šimonytė told Business Insider in an interview that the rebuilding of Russia's military capacities on its borders with NATO member states means that it is "returning to the Cold War sort of posture." As Business Insider previously reported, this is the kind of language Putin used before he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Ingrida Šimonytė, —, Šimonytė, Russia hadn't, It's, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: NATO, Service, Ukraine, EU, Finland, Business, Lithuania, for Locations: Russia, Europe, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Ukraine, Kaliningrad, Soviet Union, Russia's, Baltic

☆ It may look like Trump scared NATO back into readiness — but it's probably all down to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NATO states' increased defense spending in recent years has little to do with Trump, experts told BI. NATO spending has indeed accelerated since Trump entered politics. It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do itTrump's demands of NATO allies also weren't a departure from existing US policy. Threatening partners is "bananas"Trump's transactional take on NATO collective defense is ultimately reasonable, Bury said — but encouraging other countries to attack NATO allies is "bananas." AdvertisementIf US allies are spending more money on NATO defense, it's not because Trump is goading them, but because they're concerned about increasing global instability.

Persons: Trump, it's, —, Kaja Kallas, Mark Rutte, Edward Hunter Christie, Hunter Christie, William Alberque, Russia hadn't, hadn't, Alberque, Patrick Bury, Barack Obama, didn't, Joe Biden, Bury, Vladimir Putin Organizations: NATO, Trump, Service, Estonia's, Dutch, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK's University of Bath Locations: Russia, ”, NATO, Crimea, Trump, South Korea, Japan, United States, Ukraine

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday that the U.S. plans to announce a "major sanctions package" on Friday, seeking to hold Russia responsible for the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Estonia Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Tuesday said the country, which borders Russia, successfully thwarted a "hybrid operation" by Russia's security services on its territory. Russia's Federal Security Service has reportedly detained a woman with dual Russian-U.S. citizenship on suspicion of treason, Russian media reported Tuesday. The woman, believed to be a 33 year-old resident of Los Angeles, was arrested in the Urals mountain city of Yekaterinburg. She was reportedly arrested on suspicion of treason for raising funds for Ukraine's armed forces.

Persons: John Kirby, Alexei Navalny, Kaja Kallas Organizations: White, Russia, Internal Security Service, ISS, Federal Security Service Locations: U.S, Estonia, Russia, Los Angeles, Yekaterinburg

☆ Russia's NATO neighbors are building hundreds of bunkers and anti-tank ditches in case of an invasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementEstonia, Lithuania, and Latvia are busy building massive defensive installations along their collective 1,000 miles of border with Russia and Belarus. The Baltic Defense Line, comprising hundreds of bunkers and other defensive measures, was a key part of an agreement struck between the three countries last month, prompted by the war in nearby Ukraine. Advertisement"A Baltic defensive line is a huge project," Lukas Milevski, a research fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, wrote recently. A diagram of prototype bunkers published by Estonia's defense ministry shows how the oblong structures are designed to fit into a T-shaped dugout, their entrance protected by earthworks.

Persons: —, 🛡️, evkur, e cade, " ERR, Baker, ure, ely, vic, ted as say Organizations: Service, Baltic Defense, ici Locations: Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Eston, ain

☆ Swedish Prosecutors Turn Down Request to Reopen 'Estonia' Ferry Disaster Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish prosecutors said on Thursday they had turned down a request to reopen investigations into the sinking of the "Estonia" ferry in 1994 with the loss of 852 lives, as there was no new evidence to suggest a collision, an explosion or a crime. The roll-on, roll-off ferry sank in international waters in the Baltic Sea during stormy weather on its way to Stockholm from Estonia's capital, Tallinn. Sweden's Prosecution Authority received a request in 2020 to resume investigations after footage on a television documentary showed holes in the ship's hull. Photos You Should See View All 22 Images"The case is closed," she added in a statement. The statement did not say who had made the request to resume investigations.

Persons: Karolina Wieslander, Anna Ringstrom, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Sweden's, Authority Locations: STOCKHOLM, Estonia, Baltic, Stockholm, Estonia's, Tallinn, Estonian

☆ Russia could be at war with NATO "within the next decade," intelligence report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia may be preparing for a "confrontation with the West," says Estonia's intelligence service. "Russia has chosen a path which is a long-term confrontation," said Estonia's intelligence chief. AdvertisementNATO may find itself at war with Russia in the next 10 years, says Estonia's foreign intelligence service. The intelligence agency said in a report on Tuesday that Russia may be preparing for a "confrontation with the West." "Russia has chosen a path which is a long-term confrontation," Rosin said during the report's launch, per Reuters.

Persons: —, Rosin, Donald Trump, Trump, he'd, didn't, Trump's, Ben Hodges, Hodges Organizations: NATO, Service, Reuters, US Army, British, Times, Business Insider Locations: Russia, Estonia, Estonian, Ukraine, Russian, South Carolina, US Army Europe

☆ Ukraine says it can't fire more than 2,000 shells a day as Western allies fail to meet pledges: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine is limited to firing 2,000 artillery shells a day, roughly one-third of Russia's capacity, the country's defense minister, Rustem Umerov, said in a letter seen by Bloomberg. While Ukraine's Western allies stall, and US military aid is held up in Congress, Russia has ramped up production. AdvertisementMartin Herem, commander of Estonia's defense forces, told Bloomberg last week that he believes Russia is now capable of producing several million shells a year. Shell hunger is not a new problem for Ukraine — throughout the last year, soldiers often reported having to husband their ammunition supplies. Alongside further appeals to its allies, Ukraine has, in recent months, been refocusing on its domestic military production capacities.

Persons: Rustem Umerov, Umerov, Boris Pistorius, Celeste Wallander, Martin Herem Organizations: Bloomberg, EU, Politico, Ukraine —, Times, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Congress, Russia, London

☆ The EU has sent less than a third of the 1 million rounds of ammo it promised Ukraine, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The EU pledged to send Ukraine one million rounds of ammunition by March 2024. But it has only sent 300,000 so far, an EU official told Politico Europe. AdvertisementThe European Union will likely fall short of sending the one million rounds of ammunition it pledged to Ukraine, an unnamed senior EU official told Politico Europe. Politico's report said that EU countries had sent 300,000, less than a third of their promise. Other European and Ukrainian senior officials drew the same conclusion this week after Bloomberg reported that the EU was "very unlikely" to hit its 1 million rounds target by March.

Persons: —, Boris Pistorius, Dmytro Kuleba, Rob Bauer Organizations: Politico, Service, EU, Politico Europe, Bloomberg, Germany's, Guardian, Ukraine's, European Pravda Locations: Ukraine, Politico Europe, Netherlands

☆ Estonia Says Chinese Ship Is Main Focus of Probe Into Cables Damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Andrius Sytas and Essi LehtoVILNIUS/HELSINKI (Reuters) - Estonian prosecutors said on Friday the Hong Kong-registered NewNew Polar Bear container ship was the main focus of their investigations into the damage of two subsea telecoms cables last month. It is the first time Estonia has said it was the primary scenario it was investigating. NewNew Shipping, the owner and operator of the NewNew Polar Bear, has previously declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Estonia's prosecutor general said on Friday the main lead they were following was that "damage to the telecom cables between Estonia and Finland and Estonia and Sweden is connected to the vessel Newnew Polar Bear flying the flag of Hong Kong". Reuters has reported that two vessels, the NewNew Polar Bear and the Russia-flagged Sevmorput, were present near the cables and pipeline around the time of the damage, according to data from MarineTraffic, a ship-tracking and maritime analytics provider.

Persons: Andrius Sytas, Triinu Olev, Risto Lohi, Elina Valtonen, China, Essi, Terje Solsvik, Christina Fincher, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Essi Lehto, NewNew Shipping, Reuters, NATO, Finland's Locations: Essi, Essi Lehto VILNIUS, HELSINKI, Hong Kong, Estonia's, Finland, Estonia, China, Baltic, Sweden, Russia, MarineTraffic, Vilnius, Helsinki

☆ Three Baltic Pipe and Cable Incidents 'Are Related', Estonia Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Finnish police have named the Chinese-owned and Hong-Kong-flagged container carrier NewNew Polar Bear as the prime suspect in damaging the Balticconnector Finland-Estonia gas pipeline early on Oct. 8. NewNew Polar Bear sailed over the Estonia-Sweden cable 133 kilometres before reaching the pipeline damage site. It then crossed the Estonia-Finland cable 32 kilometres after the gas pipeline, according to MarineTraffic. NATO has stepped up patrols in the Baltic sea after the incidents, and Norwegian navy has shadowed NewNew Polar Bear as it sailed over country's key pipelines. China is willing to provide necessary information in accordance with international law regarding an investigation on damage to a Baltic Sea gas pipeline, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday at a regular press briefing.

Persons: Andrius Sytas, Kaja Kallas, Nerijus, David Evans Organizations: Nerijus Adomaitis, Reuters, Estonian, NATO Locations: Nerijus, Nerijus Adomaitis VILNIUS, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Hong, Kong, Helsinki, Tallinn, Estonian, Russia, MarineTraffic, Baltic, China, Vilnius, Oslo

☆ Russia's Gazprom to supply extra gas to Hungary and China this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Gazprom PAO FollowOct 22 (Reuters) - Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) will supply extra gas to Hungary through the coming winter and will also provide China with an additional 600 million cubic metres this year on top of contractual obligations, TASS news agency quoted its boss Alexei Miller as saying. Orban told Putin when they met in Beijing on Tuesday that Hungary never wanted to oppose Russia and was trying to salvage bilateral contacts. "And we have an agreement that we will supply additional volumes on an ongoing basis in the coming winter", he said. "We regularly supply additional volumes to the Chinese market. This year, I think (the extra amount) will be 600 million cubic meters of gas," he was quoted as saying.

Persons: Alexei Miller, Vladimir Putin, Miller, Viktor Orban, Orban, Putin, Gazprom's Miller, Mark Trevelyan, David Holmes Organizations: Gazprom PAO, Gazprom, Investigations, European Union, Putin, NATO, Ukraine, EU, Thomson Locations: Hungary, China, Russian, Europe, Ukraine, Baltic, Beijing, Russia, U.S

☆ Estonia's Kallas Dismayed by Hungary's Orban Handshake With 'Criminal' Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

With great pomp, Viktor Orban and Putin held talks in China on Tuesday. Broadcast on Russian television, Orban told Putin that he had never wanted to oppose Moscow and is trying to salvage bilateral contacts. "It was very, very unpleasant to see that," Kallas, one of Ukraine's staunchest defenders, told Reuters in an interview in Paris. At least 2,600 Hungarians and 600 Soviet troops were killed in the fighting. This is the reality, but it doesn't mean that we should lose our interest in these areas," Kallas said.

Persons: John Irish PARIS, Vladimir Putin, Kaja Kallas, Viktor Orban, Putin, Orban, Ukraine's, Kallas, Emmanuel Macron, he's, John Irish, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Union, Ukraine, Reuters, Criminal Court, ICC, Republicans, Hamas Locations: Moscow, Estonian, Hungary, Russia, China, Paris, Ukraine, Soviet, Kyiv, U.S, Israel, Nagorno, Karabakh, Western Balkans, Middle East

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden on Tuesday reported partial damage to an undersea telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea running to Estonia that authorities believe occurred at the same time as damage to an undersea gas pipeline and telecom cable from Finland to Estonia. Finland launched an investigation into possible sabotage after reporting the damage to its gas pipeline to Estonia last week. Finnish and Estonian gas system operators on Oct. 8 said they noted an unusual drop in pressure in the Balticconnector pipeline after which they shut down the gas flow. The Finnish government on Oct. 10 said there was damage both to the gas pipeline and to a telecommunications cable between the two NATO countries. Later Tuesday, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that the exact reason for the failure of the cable between Sweden and Estonia still needs to be clarified.

Persons: Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Bohlin, “, Pål Jonson, ” Pål Jonson, Hanno Pevkur, Pevkur, Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson Organizations: STOCKHOLM, —, Civil Defense, Baltic News Service, Swedish Defense, Estonian, NATO, Swedish Locations: — Sweden, Baltic, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Swedish, Estonian, Hiiumaa, Ukraine, Germany, Russia, Danish, Bornholm, Denmark

STOCKHOLM/HELSINKI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A Baltic Sea telecom cable connecting Sweden and Estonia was damaged at roughly the same time as a Finnish-Estonian pipeline and cable were earlier this month, but remains operational, Sweden's civil defence minister said on Tuesday. The damage to the Swedish-Estonian cable was sustained outside the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Sweden, the country's civil defence minister, Carl-Oskar Bohlin said, and the cable had continued to function since then. VESSELS IN AREAEurope and NATO have become increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure around and under the Baltic Sea. The latest incidents follow explosions in September 2022 that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea and cut Europe's supply of Russian gas. Finland said on Oct. 8 that the Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia had been damaged in what may have been a deliberate act.

Persons: Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Arelion, Ewa Skoog Haslum, NBI, Atomflot, Ulf Kristersson, Nerijus Adomaitis, Niklas Pollard, Simon Johnson, Marie, Gleb Stolyarov, Andrew Gray, Gwladys, Bill Berkrot, Mark Potter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Estonian Economic Affairs, Communications Ministry, NATO, Reuters, National Bureau of Investigation, NewNew Shipping, Sweden's, Joint Expeditionary Force, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, HELSINKI, Sweden, Estonia, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Swedish, Finland, Hiiumaa, NATO, Baltic, Europe, Rosatom, Oslo, Stockholm, Brussels

☆ European countries who put curbs on Huawei 5G equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The European Union's industry chief Thierry Breton in June urged more EU countries to join the efforts to curb or block Huawei and ZTE equipment from the bloc's 5G telecoms networks. FRANCEFrench authorities in 2020 told telecoms operators planning to buy Huawei 5G equipment that they would not be able to renew licences for the gear once they expire, effectively phasing Huawei out of mobile networks. ITALYWhile Italy has not outright banned Huawei equipment, it prevented telecoms group Fastweb in 2020 from signing a deal for Huawei to supply equipment for its 5G network. LATVIALatvia and the U.S. signed an agreement in 2020 on 5G security aimed at limiting the operations of Chinese companies. SWEDENSweden in 2020 banned telecoms equipment from Huawei and ZTE in its 5G network.

Persons: China's, Thierry Breton, Tristan Veyet, Antonis Pothitos, Laura Lenkiewicz, Milla Nissi, Jan Harvey Organizations: China's Huawei, Huawei, DENMARK Danish, FRANCE French, ZTE, U.S, LITHUANIA Lithuania's, Thomson Locations: Germany, European, BRITAIN Britain, ESTONIA, DENMARK, FRANCE, GERMANY, ITALY, Italy, LATVIA Latvia, LITHUANIA, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, U.S, China, SWEDEN Sweden

☆ Ukraine is firing up to 7,000 rounds a day, a fraction of the 60,000 shells Russia was firing earlier this year: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine lags far behind Russia in its use and production of artillery shells, according to CNN. Russia fired 60,000 shells a day earlier this year, while Ukraine now fires about 7,000, per CNN. The Ukrainian military wants to fire more than 10,000 rounds a day, according to CNN, which would still remain far below Russia's artillery efforts. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs of July, the US had committed to sending more than two million artillery rounds to Ukraine, while the EU has approved plans to send a quarter of a million rounds. However, it remains unclear how fast European weapon manufacturers can catch up with Russia's production rates.

Persons: Oleksandra Ustinova, Armin Papperfer, Papperfer, Bill LaPlante, Douglas Bush, Bush, Ukraine's Organizations: CNN, Artillery, Service, Rheinmetall, EU, New York Times, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Estonian, Europe, Scandinavian

☆ Incoming NATO member Sweden has a military built for 'one thing, and one thing only: fighting Russia,' says expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sweden is set to join NATO, a blow to Putin who considers the military alliance a threat to Russia. Sweden's military is built for one thing: fighting Russia, expert Robert Clark wrote in The Telegraph. Robert Clark, the director of defense and security for UK think tank Civitas and a British veteran, said that Sweden's "military is built for one thing, and one thing only: fighting Russia." He outlined the ways that Sweden's military being part of NATO is likely bad news for Russia. And with Sweden in NATO, every country in the Arctic would be in the alliance apart from Russia, he added.

Persons: Putin, Robert Clark, Vladimir Putin, —, Clark, Carl Bildt, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Organizations: NATO, The, Service, Sweden —, Google, Financial Times Locations: Sweden, Russia, The Telegraph, Wall, Silicon, British, NATO, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, Northern Europe, Baltic, Russian, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Swedish, Hungary

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Wagner forces will no longer fight in Ukraine; Prigozhin retreat deal terms could still be under discussion
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Karen Gilchrist Ruxandra Iordache | Karen Gilchrist | Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

NATO member states must agree on a clear route for Ukraine's membership of the military alliance when they meet at a summit next month, Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Thursday. "The only security guarantee that really works, and the cheapest security guarantee that really works is NATO membership," Kallas told reporters ahead of a summit with other European Union government leaders in Brussels. Speaking at the same summit earlier Thursday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the EU still needed to decide what further security assurances it wishes to provide to Ukraine. We will have to discuss how far it goes, and if it would be lethal or non-lethal support. And we have to take into account that several EU countries are not a member of NATO," Rutte said.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, Mark Rutte, Rutte, — Karen Gilchrist Organizations: Estonia's, NATO, European Union, Dutch, EU Locations: Brussels, Ukraine

☆ Estonia's Bolt, Starship in food delivery robot deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, June 21 (Reuters) - Estonian ride-hailing and food delivery startup Bolt on Wednesday said it has signed a partnership with robotics firm Starship Technologies aiming to have thousands of robots delivering food across multiple countries, starting this year. With this partnership, Starship will gain access to Bolt's more than 100 million customers in over 45 countries and 500 cities. Bolt expects delivery using robots to ultimately increase its profitability per delivery. Former Skype co-founders launched Starship in 2014 and started testing their self-driving delivery robots in London. Since then its six-wheel robots have been operational in more than 50 service areas for last-mile delivery of food, groceries, and small packages.

Persons: Supantha Mukherjee, Jason Neely Organizations: Technologies, Skype, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Estonia, London, Stockholm

☆ Kontaveit to retire after Wimbledon due to back injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Kontaveit cut her 2022 season short in October and took another two-month break in February to focus on the issue. "I am ready for new challenges after my last effort as a professional tennis player - to enjoy the game and compete as hard as I can at Wimbledon." Kontaveit, now ranked 79th in the world, exited the Australian Open in the second round and has not played since a first-round defeat at the French Open in May. A quarter-final run at Melbourne Park in 2020 is her best Grand Slam result to date. Kontaveit won four titles and reached the WTA Finals in a breakthrough 2021 season and was ranked world number two last September at the U.S. Open, where she lost to Serena Williams in the second round.

Persons: Kontaveit, Poland's Magda Linette REUTERS, Hannah Mckay, Serena Williams, Hritika Sharma, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Melbourne, Wimbledon, Melbourne Park, WTA, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Instagram, Hyderabad

TALLINN, June 20 (Reuters) - Estonia's parliament approved on Tuesday a law to legalise same-sex marriage, making it the first central European country to do so. Same-sex marriage is legal in much of western Europe but not in central European countries which were once under communist rule and members of the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact alliance but now members of NATO and, largely, the EU. In the largely secular Baltic country of 1.3 million, 53% of the population supported same-sex marriage in a 2023 poll by the Centre for Human Rights. Same-sex marriage is opposed by the ethnic-Russian minority, which constitutes a quarter of the country, with only 40% of them supporting it. Latvia and Lithuania, the other two Baltic countries which were previously annexed by the Soviet Union, have same-sex partnership bills stuck in their parliaments.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, Tomas Jermalavicius, Janis Laizans, Terje Solsvik, Ed Osmond Organizations: NATO, Reuters, Centre for Human Rights, Gay, International Centre for Defence, Security, Andrius Sytas, Thomson Locations: TALLINN, Europe, Moscow, Warsaw, EU, Baltic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Soviet Union, Tallinn, Andrius, Vilnius

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