DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

U.S. President Joe Biden, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be among the 31 NATO leaders attending the summit in the small Baltic state. The invasion prompted Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of military non-alignment and apply to join NATO. In Vilnius, Finland will attend its first NATO summit as a member. At the summit, the NATO leaders are also expected to agree they should all spend at least 2% of national GDP on defence - an upgrade on a 2014 pledge to move towards that number. The NATO leaders will also meet with counterparts from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand as Washington presses the alliance to play a greater role in countering China.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tayyip Erdogan, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, John Irish, Andrius Sytas, Huseyin Hayatsever, William Maclean Organizations: Russia VILNIUS, NATO, Patriot, U.S, British, Ukraine Council, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Soviet Union, Vilnius, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Vilnius, Sweden, Europe, Lithuanian, Germany, Prague, Eastern Europe, Russia, United States, Bucharest, France, Britain, TURKEY, SWEDEN, Soviet, Finland, Turkey, Stockholm, Ankara, Swedish, Greece, Cyprus, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Washington, China, Istanbul

☆ NATO allies to spend 'at least 2%' of GDP on defence, diplomats say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OLIVIER MATTHYS/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoBRUSSELS, July 7 (Reuters) - NATO allies have reached agreement to raise the alliance's target for military spending to at least 2% of national GDP, two diplomats told Reuters late on Friday. Agreement on the new spending target was one of the outstanding issues ahead of a two-day NATO summit on Tuesday and Wednesday next week in Vilnius. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg intended to make NATO's current military spending target of 2% of national GDP a minimum requirement rather than a goal to aim for. The goal was set in 2014, when NATO leaders agreed to increase spending towards 2% of their GDP on defence within a decade. Bringing up the rear are Canada, Slovenia, Turkey, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg, whose defence spending was under 1.4% of GDP.

Persons: OLIVIER MATTHYS, Jens Stoltenberg, Sabine Siebold, Leslie Adler, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: NATO, Alliance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Finland, BRUSSELS, Vilnius, United States, Britain, Poland, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, Canada, Slovenia, Turkey, Spain, Luxembourg

☆ NATO allies agree to spend 'at least 2%' of their GDP on defence -diplomats
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ What would happen if Ukraine joined NATO?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Following are the steps that Ukraine has taken on its way to NATO membership, a possible compromise over the next steps - and Russia's view of the developments. AN UNMAPPED PATHIn 2008, NATO agreed at a Bucharest summit that Ukraine - which was part of the Moscow-ruled Soviet Union until its 1991 demise - could eventually join the alliance. Moscow then illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed separatist proxies in eastern Ukraine. It is cited as one of the main reasons why Ukraine cannot join NATO while in conflict with Russia, as this might immediately draw the alliance into an active war. Moscow has said it would cause problems for many years to come if Ukraine joined NATO and has warned of an unspecified response to ensure its security.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sabine Siebold, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: NATO, Russia, Kyiv, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Soviet Union, West, NATO's, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, London, Russia, Vilnius, United States, Germany, Russian, Russia's, Bucharest, Soviet, Crimea, Kyiv, NATO, Europe, Finland, Sweden, Britain, NATO's Washington Treaty

☆ Germany to buy 60 Chinooks for up to 8 bln euros -lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, July 5 (Reuters) - Germany will buy 60 Chinook helicopters from Boeing (BA.N) in a package that will cost up to 8 billion euros ($8.7 billion), including necessary infrastructure for the aircraft, two members of the parliamentary budget committee told Reuters on Wednesday. The sum includes the procurement of the CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters for 6.27 billion euros, 700 million euros for service, 240 million euros for national contracts and 750 million euros for infrastructure, according to earlier information. Germany said it planned to buy 60 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Boeing last year to replace its ageing CH-53 fleet. Originally, 6 billion euros had been budgeted. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shifted policy in February 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, sharply increasing defence spending and committing 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Sebastian Schaefer, Holger Hansen, Sabine Siebold, Friederike Heine, Emelia Organizations: Boeing, Reuters, Wednesday, Bundeswehr, Greens, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Holzdorf, Berlin, Poland, Russia, Ukraine

☆ German firm sees U.S. getting lion's share of 100 bln euro military fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Alexander Hübner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wiegand called on the government to use the 100 billion euro fund not only to plug short-term gaps in the German military's inventories but also to help develop technologies of the future. Renk, formerly a subsidiary of Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), is global leader in the production of gear boxes for tanks including the Leopard 2. The company, situated in the Bavarian town of Augsburg, makes about 70% of its sales from gear boxes for tanks and navy ships, the rest with gear boxes for civilian purposes such as compressors. Renk has booked orders totalling of 3.9 billion euros ($4.3 billion), including framework contracts, according to the CEO. Bankers estimate Renk's value to be around 2.5 billion euros in case of an IPO.

Persons: Berlin, Susanne Wiegand, embargoed, Wiegand, Triton, Renk, Alexander Hübner, Sabine Siebold, Rachel More, David Holmes Organizations: Renk, Volkswagen, VW, Bankers, Thomson Locations: MUNICH, U.S, Munich, Berlin, Germany, Bavarian, Augsburg

"It's all about containing those kinds of capabilities from the north," retired U.S. Major General Gordon B. Davis Jr. told Reuters. "With five submarines we can close the Baltic Sea," Linden told Reuters. The region from the Baltic in the south to the high north may become almost an integrated operating area for NATO. It was first shipped from Germany across the Baltic Sea, then trucked nearly 900 km to the north. "It would make it very difficult for the Russian Baltic Sea fleet to operate in a free way," he said.

Persons: Mika Hakkarainen, Finland –, Major General Gordon B, Davis Jr, Fredrik Linden, Sweden's, Linden, Samu Paukkunen, Paukkunen, Sebastian Bruns, Michael Maus, Kurt Rossi, Rossi, Tuomo Lamberg, Bruns, Nick Childs, Anne Kauranen, Johan Ahlander, Jacob Gronholt, Sabine Siebold, Sara Ledwith Organizations: NATO, Reuters, Fleet, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Major, Analysts, Northern Fleet, Kiel University's Institute for Security, NATO's, Transformation, Field Artillery, U.S . Army, Baltic, Commission, Security, Cooperation, Naval Forces and Maritime Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Fouche, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: TORNIO, Finland, KARLSKRONA, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Stockholm, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, RUSSIA, Russian, Murmansk, Kola, Barents, North America, Greenland, Iceland, Helsinki, Baltic, Nord, Russia's, Denmark, Kiel, Rovaniemi, Santa Claus, United States, Britain, Germany, –, St, Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Sweco, Swedish, Gotland, Karlskrona, Oeland, London, Birmingham, Tornio, Oslo, Copenhagen, Brussels

☆ German coalition at odds over fighter jet sale to Saudi Arabia, Welt am Sonntag reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, July 1(Reuters) - Germany's coalition government is at odds over whether to bow to British pressure and approve the production of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets for Saudi Arabia, the newspaper Welt Am Sonntag reported on Saturday, citing anonymous sources. A third of the components for the jets come from Germany, industry sources told Reuters at the time. Since the rapprochement of Saudi Arabia and Iran, which could end their proxy war in Yemen, the British have argued that Germany cannot block the export of Eurofighter jets to third parties. A spokesperson for the Chancellery declined to comment to Welt am Sonntag. Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Jamal Khashoggi, Angela Merkel, Sabine Siebold, Victoria Waldersee, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Eurofighter Typhoon, BAE Systems, Reuters, Social Democrats, Finance, Greens, SPD, Eurofighter, Welt, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Yemen, Saudi, Germany, United States, France, Britain, Iran

At a summit in Brussels, the leaders restated their condemnation of Russia's war against Ukraine and said the EU and its member countries "stand ready" to contribute to commitments that would help Ukraine defend itself in the long term. In a text summarising the conclusions of the summit, the leaders said they would swiftly consider the form these commitments would take. Ukraine needs our commitment to continue ensuring their security during the war and after the war," he added. The final text said the EU would contribute "together with partners" and "in full respect of the security and defence policy of certain Member States". Ukraine has argued the best way to assure its own security and that of Europe is for it to join NATO.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Zelenskiy, Wagner, Bart Meier, Marine Strauss, Sabine Siebold, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Union, Russia, EU, European Peace Facility, Ukrainian Defence Fund, European Union, NATO, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Ukraine, France, Baltic, U.S, States, United States, Britain, Germany, Europe, Russia

PARIS/WASHINGTON/DUBAI, June 28 (Reuters) - European diplomats have told Iran they plan to retain European Union ballistic missile sanctions set to expire in October under the defunct 2015 Iran nuclear deal, four sources said, a step that could provoke Iranian retaliation. The EU sanctions are set to expire on Oct. 18 under a U.N. resolution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal. A second Iranian official brushed off the possibility of the sanctions remaining, saying Tehran had advanced its nuclear and missile programs for years despite Western sanctions. NUCLEAR DEAL 'NO LONGER EXISTS'Britain's foreign ministry did not comment on whether the E3 planned to keep the sanctions or had told Iran of any decision. Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, any party could trigger the "snapback" or return of all sanctions that it removed.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Ali Bagheri Kani, Enrique Mora, Bagheri Kani, Mora, Nabila Massrali, Trump, Henry Rome, John Irish, Arshad Mohammed, Parisa, Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold, Daniel Wallis Organizations: European Union, EU, . Security, Iranian, Reuters, Washington Institute for Near East, Thomson Locations: PARIS, WASHINGTON, DUBAI, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, Tehran, United States, Britain, China, France, Germany, Washington, Israel, Gulf, Western, Moscow, Abu Dhabi, EU, Doha, Iranian, British, European, U.S, Rome, Paris, Dubai, Brussels

☆ Berlin and Paris 'missing in action' as EU lacks leadership in defence, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The crucial capability gap in European defence is still political leadership," the Munich Security Report on European Defence said. The annual Munich Security Conference, usually held in February, is an influential global gathering of top policymakers and analysts to debate defence and security challenges. The report said Germany and France in particular were "missing in action" at a time when European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and EU top diplomat Josep Borrell are driving EU support for Kyiv and joint procurement initiatives. "Under the (Chancellor Olaf) Scholz government, Germany has faced recurrent criticism for its absence in EU defence questions," it said. "The onus is on Germany and France to win back trust," the report said, adding that time was of the essence in speeding up defence cooperation.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Sarah Meyssonnier, Ursula von der Leyen, Josep Borrell, Chancellor Olaf, Scholz, Sabine Siebold, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Weimar, REUTERS, Munich Security, European Defence, Munich Security Conference, European Commission, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, BERLIN, Germany, Europe, Ukraine, Munich, Russia

☆ EU says aborted Russia mutiny shows Moscow's military power is 'cracking'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 26 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers on Monday said an aborted mutiny in Russia at the weekend showed Moscow's war in Ukraine was causing domestic instability and undermining its military power, but stressed their focus remained on supporting Kyiv. "The political system is showing fragilities, and the military power is cracking," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters in Luxembourg as he arrived for a meeting with ministers from across the 27-member bloc. "The monster that Putin created with Wagner, the monster is biting him now, the monster is acting against his creator." German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Putin was destroying his own country with his "brutal war of aggression" in Ukraine. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen suggested the weekend's events showed Putin's hold on power was not as strong as it seemed.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin's Wagner, Putin, Annalena Baerbock, Yves Herman, Baerbock, Jean Asselborn, Alexander Schallenberg, Elina Valtonen, Sabine Siebold, Bart Meijer, Andrew Gray, Conor Humphries Organizations: Union, Kyiv, Moscow, EU, European Commission, REUTERS, Austrian, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Russia, Ukraine, EU, Luxembourg, Brussels, Belgium, Russia's, Europe, Finnish

☆ Wagner mutiny lays bare cracks in Moscow's military power -EU's Borrell
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, June 26 (Reuters) - The aborted mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia shows cracks in Moscow's military power caused by the war on Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday. "The political system is showing fragilities, and the military power is cracking," he told reporters in Luxembourg ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers. "It's not a good thing to see that a nuclear power like Russia can go into a phase of political instability," Borrell said, adding this was the moment for the EU to continue supporting Ukraine more than ever. "The monster that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin created with Wagner, the monster is biting him now, the monster is acting against his creator." Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray and Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wagner, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Vladimir, Putin, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Bart Meijer Organizations: EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Russia, Ukraine, EU, Luxembourg

☆ Wagner mutiny shows Moscow's 'big strategic mistake' in attacking Kyiv - NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 26 (Reuters) - The aborted mutiny by Russia's Wagner mercenary group at the weekend demonstrates the weakness of the Russian leadership and the scale of the Kremlin's strategic mistake in waging war on Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was to move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Kremlin said. "It demonstrates the fragility the Russian regime but it is not for NATO to intervene in those issues, that's a Russian matter." Stoltenberg said NATO was monitoring the situation in Belarus and, again, condemned Moscow's announcement to deploy nuclear weapons there. He described the drills as a clear message that NATO was ready to defend every inch of allied territory.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Jens Stoltenberg, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir, Putin, Stoltenberg, that's, groping, Mikhail Mishustin, Putin's, Sabine Siebold, Bart Meijer, Alison Williams, Conor Humphries, Alex Richardson Organizations: NATO, Ukraine, NATO battlegroup, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Belarus, Crimea, Lithuania, NATO's

☆ Germany ready for permanent brigade presence in NATO member Lithuania
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Germany stands by its commitment as a NATO member, as Europe's biggest economy, to stand up for the protection of the eastern flank," Pistorius said during a visit to Vilnius on Monday, without giving a timeline. "Precondition (for the deployment) is that the necessary infrastructure is in place," he told reporters on a visit to Lithuania. Germany already leads NATO's multi-national battlegroup in Lithuania, a reinforced battalion of some 1,000 troops, meant to strengthen the alliance's eastern flank. Beyond this, a German brigade is on stand-by in Germany to rapidly reinforce troops in Lithuania if needed. Vilnius, however, has long demanded the permanent presence of a full German brigade.

Persons: Pistorius, NATO's, Jens Stoltenberg, Sabine Siebold, Matthias Williams, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: NATO, NATO battlegroup, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Lithuania, Ukraine, Vilnius, Berlin, Russia

☆ Berlin plans to spend 8 billion euros in package for 60 Boeing Chinook helicopters
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 23 (Reuters) - Germany aims to purchase 60 Chinook helicopters from Boeing (BA.N) in a package that would cost up to 8 billion euros ($8.71 billion), including necessary infrastructure for the aircraft, a parliamentary source told Reuters on Friday. The sum includes the procurement of the CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters for 6.27 billion euros, 700 million euros for service, 240 million euros for national contracts and 750 million euros for the infrastructure, the source said, confirming reports by other media. Germany announced its intent to buy 60 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Boeing (BA.N) last year to replace its ageing CH-53 fleet. Originally, six billion euros had been budgeted for the helicopters. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz shifted policy in February 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, sharply increasing defense spending and committing 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Sabine Siebold, Maria Sheahan, Tom Sims Organizations: Boeing, Bundeswehr, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Scholz pledges security assurances to Kyiv but no swift NATO membership
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] View of a residential area hit by a Russian missile strike, in Kyiv region, Ukraine January 16, 2023. Head of the National Police of Kyiv region Andrii Nebytov via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoBERLIN, June 22 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday pledged long-term security assurances to Ukraine but dashed Kyiv's hopes for a swift accession to NATO. "Therefore, I suggest we focus on the top priority (at the NATO summit) in Vilnius (in mid-July), namely strengthening the combat power of Ukraine," Scholz said. Berlin and its partners in the G7 and the European Union were working on long-term security assurances to Kyiv, he said. NATO countries are squabbling over what to offer Kyiv when the alliance's leaders meet in Vilnius on July 11-12.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Sabine Siebold, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: National Police, REUTERS, NATO, European Union, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Russian, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Kyiv, Vilnius, Berlin, Eastern Europe, United States, Germany, Russia

☆ Germany only has 20,000 high explosive artillery shells left - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 19 (Reuters) - Germany's armed forces only have around 20,000 high explosive artillery shells left, magazine Der Spiegel wrote on Monday citing confidential defence ministry papers prepared to convince the budget committee of the need for urgent purchases. Germany's military needs to build up an inventory of some 230,000 shells by 2031 to comply with NATO goals to have enough artillery to withstand 30 days of intensive combat, Der Spiegel wrote. The defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The ministry aims to present the budget committee with nine contracts for the accelerated purchase of artillery and tank ammunition in coming months, Der Spiegel wrote. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Sarah Marsh; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Der Spiegel, Sabine Siebold, Sarah Marsh, Christina Fincher Organizations: NATO, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Germany resists Malian junta demand for immediate exit of troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Berlin has deployed some 1,000 troops to Mali, most near the northern town of Gao where their main task is to gather reconnaissance for the 13,000-strong MINUSMA. MINUSMA was deployed by the U.N. Security Council in 2013 to support foreign and local efforts to restore stability. A resolution requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, Britain or France to pass. The junta has burnt bridges with traditional Western allies and turned to Russia for help boosting its military capabilities. Germany said late last year it would start to pull out its troops from Mali from the middle of next year after a decade-long mission, with the withdrawal to be completed by May 2024.

Persons: MINUSMA, Wagner, Sarah Marsh, Sabine Siebold, Giles Elgood Organizations: United Nations, West, . Security, Security, UN, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Mali, Gao, France, Russia, China, United States, Britain

☆ Rheinmetall to boost propellant powder production by up to 600 tons per year, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File PhotoBRUSSELS, June 16 (Reuters) - Rheinmetall will ramp up production of propellant powder for ammunition at its plant in the Bavarian town of Aschau by 500 to 600 metric tons per year, adding some 10% to its current global capacity of more than 6,000 tons, its CEO Armin Papperger said. Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) has already kicked off an investment programme with this goal, Papperger told Reuters in an interview late on Thursday. "You can only do it if you have a very, very large order of, for example, 800,000 artillery shells," Papperger said. "This is not a situation we find ourselves in, which means we are finding other ways such as expanding our powder plant in Bavaria." In January, Papperger told Reuters that Rheinmetall was considering building a new powder plant, possibly in the eastern German state of Saxony, but that the investment of 700-800 million euros would have to be footed by the government in Berlin.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Armin Papperger, Papperger, Sabine Siebold, Conor Humphries Organizations: Lynx, Rheinmetall, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Unterluess, Germany, BRUSSELS, Bavarian, Aschau, Bavaria, Saxony, Berlin, Ukraine

But one diplomat said Turkey had blocked approval over the wording of geographical locations, including with regard to Cyprus. There was still an opportunity to find a solution before the NATO summit in mid-July in Vilnius, the diplomat added. Turkey's diplomatic mission to NATO said it would be wrong to comment on a secret NATO document, adding only that "the usual process of consultations and evaluation among allies is continuing". The so-called regional plans comprise thousands of pages of secret military plans that will detail how the alliance would respond to a Russian attack. "While regional plans were not formally endorsed today, we anticipate these plans will be part of a series of deliverables for the Vilnius Summit in July," a senior U.S. official told Reuters.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Angus MacSwan Organizations: NATO, Vilnius Summit, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Turkey, Ukraine, Brussels, Cyprus, Vilnius, NATO, Afghanistan, Iraq, Soviet Russia, Moscow, U.S

☆ Pentagon chief expresses optimism over eventual China talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed optimism on Friday that he would eventually hold talks with his Chinese counterpart after being snubbed by Beijing during an event in Singapore earlier this month. Relations between the United States and China are increasingly acrimonious, with friction over issues from Taiwan and China's military activity in the South China Sea to U.S. efforts to hold back China's semiconductor industry. Austin said he has not reached out since China declined to hold formal talks with him at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's top security summit, in Singapore. And we will continue to work to make sure that we have open lines of communication," Austin said. Reporting by Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold and Phil Stewart Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, we're, Austin, Austin's, Antony Blinken, Biden, Jake Sullivan, China's, ramping, I've, Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold, Phil Stewart, Alistair Bell Organizations: . Defense, NATO, U.S, House, Tokyo . Relations, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Beijing, Singapore, Brussels, China, Tokyo, United States, Taiwan, South, U.S

[1/4] U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A. Milley holds a news conference on the day of a NATO Defence Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 15, 2023. Milley was speaking after a meeting of the U.S.-led Contact Group of some 50 countries that give military aid to Ukraine. Austin noted the group had already given Patriot, IRIS-T and NASAMS air defence systems that had protected Ukraine from Russian missile attacks. "I ask that the members of this Contact Group continue to dig deep to provide Ukraine with the air defence assets and munitions that it so urgently needs to protect its citizens," Austin said in opening remarks. Later in the day, NATO defence ministers met separately with Reznikov to discuss their support for Kyiv.

Persons: Mark A, Milley, Yves Herman BRUSSELS, Kyiv's, It's, Mark Milley, Lloyd Austin, Austin, We'll, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, Phil Stewart, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Joint Chiefs, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, U.S, Ukraine, Russian, Joint Chiefs of Staff, NATO, Group, U.S . Defense, IRIS, Washington, Kyiv, Ukrainian Defence, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Ukraine, U.S, Russian, Kyiv

☆ NATO pushes for common standards to tackle shortfalls in artillery munitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But the lack of common standards among the various manufacturers has hampered the flow of munitions supplies. It will take place on the sidelines of a NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. Demand for 155mm artillery rounds has soared in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "If national governments could bring themselves to throw national standards over board and agree on common NATO standards – in particular with regard to munitions – this would be a landslide change," the defence source said. Before that many NATO countries had already run down their stocks as governments considered wars of attrition with big artillery battles a thing of the past.

Persons: Caesar, Jens Stoltenberg, KMW, Leonardo, Northrop, Abrams, Armin Papperger, Sabine Siebold, Gwladys Fouche, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Separate Artillery Brigade, REUTERS, NATO, BAE Systems, Turkish, Dynamics, Leopard, Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, British Storm Shadow, Rheinmetall, RND, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, BRUSSELS, Kyiv, NATO, Brussels, Kongsberg, Vilnius, Oslo

☆ Germany plans purchase of six IRIS-T air defence units - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, June 13 (Reuters) - Germany aims to purchase six IRIS-T air defence systems for its air force at a total cost of some 900 million euros ($971.73 million), a defence source told Reuters ahead of a final decision by lawmakers on Wednesday. So far, Berlin has bought two IRIS-T units built by Diehl for Ukraine and pledged to send another two systems to Kyiv, but has not equipped its own forces with it yet. Boasting a range of some 40 kilometres (25 miles) and a 360 degree view, the IRIS-T SLM system is one of the most coveted of the weapons that Berlin has supplied to Kyiv. ($1 = 0.9262 euros)Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Diehl, Sabine Siebold, Rachel More Organizations: IRIS, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Ukraine, Kyiv

Search resuls for: "Sabine Siebold"

25 mentions found