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☆ 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

“All of us decent people are hostages here.” Like other voters interviewed, she declined to provide her last name, for fear of reprisal. “It is so important to see people who think like you, who don’t agree with what is happening,” she said. More broadly, the muted, purely symbolic form of civil disobedience envisioned by the initiative underscores just how little the Russian opposition can do to influence events in the country amid the pervasive repression. Noon Against Putin has been expected to be particularly large-scale abroad, because dissident voters faced lower risks outside Russia. Ms. Navalnaya was seen standing in a long line outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin on Sunday afternoon.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Aleksei A, Navalny, Mr, Navalny’s, ”, Lena, Noon, Yulia Navalnaya, “, ” Leonid Volkov, Nanna Heitmann, Volkov, Kristina, Navalnaya, Valerie Hopkins, Tomas Dapkus, Anton Troianovski Organizations: Sunday, The New York Times, YouTube, Russian Embassy Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Lithuania, Lane, Berlin, Riga, Latvia

☆ Japan launches bullet train service to a region that 'guidebooks rarely mention'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Japan is launching a new high-speed bullet train, or shinkansen, extension on Saturday that will make an under-the-radar prefecture far more accessible to travelers. The new train will pass through the city of Fukui, the town of Awara and other places guidebooks rarely mention, before reaching the port town of Tsuruga, adding some 78 miles to the Hokuriku Shinkansen's existing Tokyo-to-Kanazawa service. A Geisha walks through a performance hall in Awara, Japan. The end of the lineThe new shinkansen service ends in the town of Tsuruga. Kehi-no-Matsubara in Tsuruga, Japan.

Persons: dino, Juratic, Dogen, it's, Buddhika Weerasinghe, Arief, Sugihara Chiune, Sugihara, Matsuo Basho Organizations: Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Zen, Getty, Humanity Museum, Mixa Locations: Japan, Fukui Prefecture, Tokyo, Fukui, Awara, Tsuruga, Kanazawa, Katsuyama, Kanaz, Suishouhama, Poland, Lithuania, Nazi

☆ Putin is coasting towards another term in power. Here’s what to know about Russia’s presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Russia is holding a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule throughout this decade and into the 2030s. But this is not a normal election; the poll is essentially a constitutional box-ticking exercise that carries no prospect of removing Putin from power. But that is not to say Russians expect the election to change the direction of the country. Russia’s elections are neither free nor fair, and serve essentially as a formality to extend Putin’s term in power, according to independent bodies and observers both in and outside the country. In order to vote against Putin, you just need to vote for any other candidate,” he said on February 8.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Natalia Kolesnikova, Joseph Stalin, Putin’s, Dmitry Medvedev, euphemistically, —, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, ”, Callum Fraser, Nikolay Kharitonov, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Davankov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Boris Nadezhdin, Yekaterina Duntsova, Duntsova, Leonid Volkov, Volkov, Stringer, Alexey Navalny –, –, Yulia Navalnaya, “, “ Putin, Don’t, Navalnaya Organizations: CNN, Russian, Duma, Getty, Levada, Central, Commission, Royal United Services Institute, Communist Party, Slutsky, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Kremlin, CEC, Freedom, Putin, European Union, Foreign Affairs Locations: Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Soviet, Lithuanian, Vilnius, Chechen, Grozny, Moscow, Russian

☆ Top Navalny Aide Attacked With Hammer Outside Home in Lithuania
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Leonid Volkov, who served as one of Mr. Navalny’s top organizers, was pulling up to his house in Vilnius when the attack happened. Mr. Volkov survived the attack. Photographs posted online by another top aide to Mr. Navalny showed Mr. Volkov conscious but injured, with a mark on his head and blood streaming from one leg. Other photographs showed the bashed-in window of his car, which was parked in a driveway in front of a children’s basketball hoop. Later in the evening, the aide posted a photograph of Mr. Volkov being loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

Persons: Aleksei A, Navalny’s, Leonid Volkov, Kira Yarmysh, Volkov, Navalny, Ms, Yarmysh Locations: Russian, Lithuania’s, Vilnius, “

☆ Leonid Volkov: Navalny’s former chief of staff attacked with hammer in Lithuania
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Darya Tarasova | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Russian opposition activist Leonid Volkov, who is the former chief of staff of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, was attacked Tuesday outside his house in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmysh. “Leonid Volkov has just been attacked outside his house. Someone broke a car window and sprayed tear gas in his eyes, after which the attacker started hitting Leonid with a hammer,” Yarmysh said in a social media post. Volkov, who had served as chairman of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation until 2023, dismissed the elections in February as a “circus,” saying on social media they were meant to signal Putin’s overwhelming mass support. They are a propaganda effort to spread hopelessness” among the electorate, Volkov said.

Persons: Leonid Volkov, Alexey Navalny, Kira Yarmysh, “ Leonid Volkov, Leonid, ” Yarmysh, ” Ivan Zhdanov, Navalny’s, Volkov, “, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Navalny Organizations: CNN, Corruption Foundation, Navalny’s, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russia

☆ NATO's newest member says it's ready to fortify a strategic island in the middle of the Baltic Sea close to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sweden is considering reinforcing Gotland, a strategic island in the Baltic Sea, after joining NATO. AdvertisementSweden is open to re-fortifying a crucial island in the Baltic Sea now that it's joined NATO, its prime minister said. "That goes in terms of presence on Gotland, but also in terms of surveillance, in terms of submarine capabilities." Gotland marked with an arrow in the Baltic Sea. Gotland is considered to hold a key strategic position in the Baltic Sea, and is often referred to as an "unsinkable aircraft carrier."

Persons: —, it's, Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson, Tom Porter, Anna Wieslander, Eric Adamson, Carl, Oskar Bohlin Organizations: NATO, Service, Financial, Google, Atlantic, FT, Atlantic Council, BBC Locations: Sweden, Gotland, Baltic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Swedish, Russian, Kaliningrad, Crimea, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Europe cannot keep assuming the US will fund its defense, European leader warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Lithuania's PM said US support is crucial to Europe as "we are not able to do that ourselves." But Europe cannot assume the US will keep helping with its defense, she said. Lithuania wants more support for Ukraine now and Europe to commit to more defense spending. AdvertisementEurope can't keep assuming that the US will fund its defense, Lithuania's prime minister told Business Insider. The country, which borders Russia, has in recent years urged more support for Ukraine and, like many other European nations, has ramped up its defense spending as it warns that Russia could attack another European country next.

Persons: Lithuania's, —, Ingrida Šimonytė Organizations: Service, Ukraine Locations: Europe, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia

☆ If Putin isn't stopped 'whatever happens next is Europe's problem at large,' Lithuanian PM says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Lithuania, which borders Russia, says Russia could attack other countries if not stopped in Ukraine. Its prime minister told BI that if Putin is not stopped "whatever happens next is Europe's problem at large." download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementWhatever Russia does next will be a problem for the whole of Europe unless it's defeated in Ukraine, Lithuania's prime minister told Business Insider. "If Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, then whatever happens next is Europe's problem at large," she said.

Persons: Putin, —, it's, Ingrida Šimonytė Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Europe

☆ Possible NATO should send troops to Ukraine, Lithuania's foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailPossible NATO should send troops to Ukraine, Lithuania's foreign minister saysLithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says no options should be taken off the table when it comes to the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine. He adds that "brave steps" are needed to defend Europe against Russian aggression.

Persons: Gabrielius Landsbergis Organizations: NATO Locations: Ukraine

☆ Europe is investing in defense in ways that were 'unimaginable' before Russia invaded Ukraine, Lithuanian PM says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Lithuania's PM said Europe is boosting defenses in ways that were unthinkable before the Ukraine war. But she told BI that Europe must do more to protect Ukraine and grow its defenses against Russia. Ingrida Šimonytė said European countries should be spending and manufacturing far more. AdvertisementMany European countries are boosting their defenses in ways that were not on the cards before Russia invaded Ukraine, Lithuania's prime minister told Business Insider. In fact, Ingrida Šimonytė told BI that European countries "are doing things that were unimaginable" before the conflict.

Persons: Lithuania's, Ingrida Šimonytė, — Organizations: Service, Russia, Business Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Russia

☆ 2 years into the war, Ukrainian soldiers urge allies to keep supporting them or Europe will be next
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two Ukrainians fighting for their country urged Ukraine's allies to keep supporting it, two years after the bloody conflict began in earnest. Despite this, the war shows no sign of ending, and war fatigue is notable in some Ukrainian allies. AdvertisementAnother soldier, callsign Local, told BI that "it's very important to help Ukraine and support Ukraine because Ukraine is like a first step to Europe. He said supporting Ukraine gives the US big returns in weakening Russia for a modest investment. AdvertisementMeanwhile, Ukrainian soldiers have warned they are low on critical ammunition and weaponry, resulting in rationing, losses, and deaths.

Persons: Ukraine's, Artem, —, it's, William J, Burns Organizations: Business, Republicans, Local, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, EU, CIA, US Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Europe, Poland, Ukraine's, England, Lithuania —, Russia, Avdiivka

☆ Here's why an influential US wargame was so wrong about Ukraine's chances against Russian invaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Or at least that was the expectation conveyed by pre-war US wargames that simulated a Russian invasion of Eastern Europe. The think tank convened an internal workshop to assess why its wargames had so overestimated Russian military prowess. Most of them examined a Russian invasion of the Baltic States (one also covered a Ukraine invasion), and how NATO might respond. In those games, Russian forces were able to quickly overrun Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania before NATO could stop them. A destroyed Russian tank is seen as Ukrainian serviceman rides a tractor and tows a Russian military vehicle near the village of Dolyna in Ukraine's Kharkiv region in September 2023.

Persons: —, Putin basks, Gian Gentile, Gleb Garanich, Ukraine's, Gentile, RAND's, Michael Peck Organizations: NATO, RAND, Service, RAND Corp, Baltic States, Russian, US, REUTERS, Baltic, US Army, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Baltic, Kyiv, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Riga, Tallinn, Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Baltics, Dolyna, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Forbes

☆ A NATO country thought it could get by without tanks. It doesn't any more.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lithuania, a NATO state that borders Russia, is acquiring tanks for the first time. AdvertisementLithuania, a NATO member with Russia on its doorstep, is acquiring tanks for the first time in its history. Vaidotas Urbelis, the policy director of Lithuania's defense ministry, told BI the purchase was driven by watching Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It's the first time the country has acquired tanks since its independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1990. Lithuania is also acquiring more armored vehicles and missiles, hosting more NATO troops permanently in the country, and strengthening its border fortifications.

Persons: —, Vaidotas Urbelis, Alexander Welscher, Urbelis Organizations: Lithuanian, Service, NATO, Business, Defense, Getty Locations: Lithuania, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Soviet Union, Russia's

☆ Turkey is back in from the cold with NATO and F-16 moves, but thorny issues remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey spent nearly two years — along with Hungary — holding up Sweden's accession to NATO. Within hours of Ankara's decision, the U.S. approved a $23 billion sale for F-16 fighter jets to Turkey that had been delayed since 2021. It's worth noting that Hungary has yet to approve Sweden's NATO bid, and remains the only member of the alliance standing in the way of the Nordic country's accession. Turkey seemingly has a unique position that allows it to push the envelope and cross lines with its NATO allies. "My approval of Turkey's request to purchase F-16 aircraft has been contingent on Turkish approval of Sweden's NATO membership.

Persons: Turkey Recep Erdogan, It's, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it's, Victoria Nuland, David Lepeska, Ben Cardin Organizations: NATO, Conference, Hungary —, UAE, Democratic, Senate Foreign Relations Locations: Turkey, Vilnius, Lithuania, Hungary, Sweden, Washington, Russian, Turkish, Eastern

The GOP has been softening its stance on Russia ever since Trump won the 2016 election following Russian hacking of his Democratic opponents. Now the GOP's ambivalence on Russia has stalled additional aid to Ukraine at a pivotal time in the war. Things are changing just not fast enough.”Those who oppose additional Ukraine aid bristle at charges that they are doing Putin's handiwork. Even before Trump, Republican voters were signaling discontent with overseas conflicts, said Douglas Kriner, a political scientist at Cornell University. Skeptics of Ukraine aid argue the war has already decimated the Russian military and that Putin won't be able to target other European countries.

Persons: Republican Sen, Ron Johnson of, Vladimir Putin, “, Johnson, “ Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Putin, Mike Johnson, ”, “ Putin, ” Republican Sen, Thom Tillis, Mitch McConnell of, Alexei Navalny, Joe Biden, Tillis, ” Johnson, Missouri Sen, Eric Schmitt, ” Alabama Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tucker Carlson’s, Matt Gaetz, Trump, Douglas Kriner, ” Kriner, ” Trump, didn’t, Olga Kamenchuk, ” Kamenchuk, That’s, “ He's, he's, ” Henry Hale, Russell Vought, Sergey Radchenko, Joey Cappelletti, Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro Organizations: Republican, GOP, Trump, Democratic, Republicans, NATO, ” Republican, Republican Party, ”, Cornell University, Northwestern University, Ukraine, Pew Research, George Washington University, Management, Center, Johns Hopkins ’ School, International Studies, Associated Press Locations: Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Europe, U.S, North Carolina, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, America, Missouri, ” Alabama, Waterford Township , Michigan, ” Russia, “, Moscow, Soviet Union, Putin's U.S, Israel, Taiwan, Western Europe, Soviet, Lithuania, Estonia, Washington

☆ Vinted cofounder Milda Mitkute shares the shopping app's path from 2 a.m. house party startup to $3.8B success
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Milda Mitkute, the cofounder of second-hand shopping app Vinted. But when you have 30,000 people on your site you need more servers and those invoices started going up to 200 euros. AdvertisementBut when we asked girls in Germany, France, and the US why they used Vinted, it was all about selling to earn some extra cash, authenticity, finding unique clothes, and consuming more sustainably. A life divided into projectsWhen you're young you think that the more you work, the more you're going to create. Mitkute stepped back from Vinted in 2017 and is no longer on the board but remains a shareholder.

Persons: —, Milda Mitkute, Vinted, Justas Janauskas, Justus, VIRGINIE LEFOUR, Getty, let's, Jonas Gratzer, Malvina, I've, It's, Mitkute Organizations: Service, Business, Vinted, Accel Partners, Facebook, Spotify Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Germany, Soviet, France, Vinted

☆ Women in Iceland want you to know it's not a gender equality utopia, despite what the statistics say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

AdvertisementBoth Icelandic and foreign-born women told BI that though they largely feel safe in Iceland, it's no feminist paradise. "That was like a wake up call for many women," Thorgerdur J. Einarsdóttir, professor of gender studies at the University of Iceland, told BI. Some groups of women are more vulnerable to violence and low wages, including foreign-born women, women with disabilities, and trans women, the interviewees said. Older generations fight so younger ones can flourishBut despite these concerns, the women BI spoke to said that they largely felt safe living in Iceland. Women BI spoke to largely said they felt optimistic about the changes that future generations would bring.

Persons: —, Arni Torfason, Saadia Zahidi, Valenttina Griffin, Grace Dean, Adolphsdóttir, Einarsdóttir, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Sigurðardóttir, Iceland's, Halldor Kolbeins, Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir, Þorbergsdóttir, Inclusivity, Alice Olivia Clarke, Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix, they'd, Steinars, she'd, she's, Ása Steinars, Alondra Silva Muñoz, Griffin, Silva Muñoz, Sigrún, Rósa, that's, Shruthi Basappa, I've, it's, Jewells Chambers, Silva Muñoz –, millennials –, … Organizations: Service, Viking Women, Stockings, Women's Rights, Nordic, Red Stockings, United Nations, Farmers ' Union, University of Iceland, Getty, Iceland, UN, Statistics, Sweden –, Icelandic Teachers ' Union, SEI Locations: Iceland, Reykjavik, Icelandic, Denmark, AFP, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Statistics Iceland, Colombia, Lithuania, Spain, Poland, India, Chile, WomenTechIceland, it's, Brooklyn, New York City, Thorhildur

☆ 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

☆ NATO: Higher defense spending is no magic bullet after Trump’s attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It’s first worth noting which countries have most dramatically increased their defense spending since the invasion of Ukraine. Yves Herman/ReutersTrump’s well-documented comments about NATO and European defense spending woke them up from that slumber. The example many point to is a deal struck earlier this year between multiple European countries to buy 1,000 Patriot missiles. “Pensions for soldiers are useful, sure, but they are not going to shoot a Russian,” a European security official told CNN. But it will be worth it, if countries don’t get bored and work together.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, don’t, Jens Stoltenberg, It’s, Yves Herman, Reuters Trump’s, Theresa May, Trump, EMMANUEL DUNAND, Malcolm Chalmers, Russia – Organizations: CNN, NATO, Reuters, Patriot, Inter, Officials, New Nato Force Model, Getty, Royal United Services Institute, Pensions, “, Diplomats Locations: Russia, NATO, Europe, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, America, Germany, AFP, European, France, China

☆ Russia is now in a better position for attacking elsewhere in Europe, defense official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussia seems to be in a better position to launch a future attack on a NATO member state, despite its performance in Ukraine, a European defense official told Business Insider. Russia failed to take Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, early in its invasion, despite its much larger and better-supplied military. AdvertisementGermany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said last month that Russia could attack a NATO country within the next five to eight years. And Denmark's defense minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, also warned this month that Russia could attack a member within the next five years. Urbelis said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has strengthened NATO, but urged members to ramp up their defense efforts.

Persons: —, Vaidotas Urbelis, Urbelis, Boris Pistorius, Troels Lund Poulsen, it's Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, EU Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Russian, Kyiv, Soviet Union, Europe

☆ Opinion: How serious is Trump about pulling out of NATO? Very
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The idea that foreign countries are freeloading off the United States plays well with his base, but Trump either doesn’t understand how NATO works or chooses not to. Meanwhile, in 2014, all NATO countries agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense by this year. Every US president since Barack Obama has pressed NATO countries to reach that expenditure level, but at the time of the agreement, only three NATO countries — the US, United Kingdom and Greece — were doing so. In 2017, NATO European countries and Canada spent around $270 billion on their defense, while the United States spent around $626 billion. No matter how wrong-headed it might be, according to his close advisers Trump seems quite serious about getting out of NATO.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Donald Trump’s, James Mattis, Trump, “, ” Trump, Barack Obama, Greece —, Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Monday, Putin, United States isn’t “, Angela Merkel, Merkel, John Bolton Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, Trump Administration, CNN, NATO, Trump, New York Times, United, Canada Locations: New America, Russia, United States, United Kingdom, Greece, Trump , Russian, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Germany, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, New Hampshire, Germans, Washington, New York City, Afghanistan, France

As of last year, a majority of NATO countries did not meet this pledge. But the alliance does not have its own army, and its military operations are staffed and supplied by member countries. Which Countries Meet NATO’s 2% Defense Spending Target? Only 11 of the 31 NATO member countries were expected to meet that target for 2023, according to estimates published last July by the alliance. That means that 20 NATO countries were expected to spend less than 2% of their GDP on defense, based on the 2023 estimates.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, we’re, Russia –, ” Trump, “, ’, ” Organizations: NATO, Reuters, Republican Locations: Russia, Ukraine, South Carolina, U.S, United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain, Canada

☆ Favoring Foes Over Friends, Trump Threatens to Upend International Order
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Soon after former President Donald J. Trump took office, his staff explained how NATO’s mutual defense obligations worked. “You mean, if Russia attacked Lithuania, we would go to war with Russia?” he responded. “That’s crazy.”Mr. Trump has never believed in the fundamental one-for-all-and-all-for-one concept of the Atlantic alliance. Indeed, he spent much of his four-year presidency undermining it while strong-arming members into keeping their commitments to spend more on their own militaries with the threat that he would not come to their aid otherwise. Never before has a president of the United States suggested he would incite an enemy to attack American allies.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ”, “, Mr, Russia “ Locations: Russia, Lithuania, South Carolina, United States

You gotta pay your bills.’”NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the 31 allies are committed to defending each other. Photos You Should See View All 21 Images“NATO remains ready and able to defend all allies. Under NATO’s mutual defense clause, Article 5 of its founding treaty, all allies commit help of any member who comes under attack. Article 5 has only ever been activated once – by the U.S. in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. NATO has undertaken its biggest military buildup since the Cold War since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Donald Trump, Władysław Kosiniak, Kamysz, “, Trump, ”, ’ ” Trump, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Putin, ___ Cook, Kirsten Grieshaber Organizations: NATO, Republican, . Defense, ”, ’, Foreign Ministry, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Trump, Associated Press Locations: WARSAW, Poland, U.S, Russia, Europe, Conway , South Carolina, ” Russia, NATO, Anchorage, Erzurum, Baltic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moscow, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Ukraine’s Crimean, Brussels, Berlin

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