DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ China's Wang Yi urges EU to 'clarify' its position on partnership
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, July 15 (Reuters) - The European Union must further "clarify" its position on its strategic partnership with Beijing, China's top diplomat Wang Yi told European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, as EU leaders called for reduced dependence on China. The launch of an EU-China comprehensive strategic partnership in 2003 had promised to elevate ties beyond trade and investment. In March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said a hardening of China's position required Europe to "de-risk" both economically and diplomatically. During his meeting with Borrell, Wang called on both sides to guard against the politicisation of economic issues and the use of "de-risking" as another term for "decoupling". There is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and the EU, Wang said.

Persons: Wang Yi, Josep Borrell, Wang, Borrell, Ursula von der Leyen, Ryan Woo, Michael Perry, William Mallard Organizations: European Union, EU, Twitter, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China's, China, EU, Moscow, Ukraine, Jakarta, Europe, Taiwan

VILNIUS, July 12 (Reuters) - British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday he had warned Ukraine that its international allies were "not Amazon" and Kyiv needed to show gratitude for weapons donations to persuade Western politicians to give more. London has been one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters since Russia's invasion last year, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said Britain and its allies will double down on its support for Ukraine. Wallace recalled that he had travelled last year to Ukraine, where he was presented with a shopping list of weapons. "We were always grateful to the UK, prime ministers and the minister of defence because the people are always supporting us," he said. Asked about Wallace's comments, Sunak said that Zelenskiy had been grateful for the support given so far and that more support would be forthcoming as required.

Persons: Ben Wallace, Kyiv's staunchest, Rishi Sunak, Wallace, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Zelenskiy, Sunak, John Irish, Kylie MacLellan, Alistair Smout, Mark Heinrich, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: British, Ukraine, U.S, NATO, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Ukraine, London, Britain, Lithuania, Vilnius

"Today there are security guarantees for Ukraine on the way to NATO," he said. "The Ukraine delegation is bringing home a significant security victory for Ukraine." Speaking earlier alongside Zelenskiy, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine was closer to the alliance than ever before, and brushed aside new warnings from Russia about the consequences of supporting Ukraine. The security assurances for Ukraine had to be "credible", he said, in order to deter Russia from future attacks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "potentially very dangerous" for the West to give Ukraine security guarantees.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, we're, Biden, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Rishi Sunak, Yves Herman, Stoltenberg, Dmitry Peskov, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, John Irish, Steve Holland, Justyna Pawlak, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Max Hunder, Gabriela Baczynska, Matthias Williams, Alex Richardson, William Maclean Organizations: Ukraine Ukrainian, Ukraine, NATO, Kyiv, U.S, British, REUTERS, Zelenskiy, Twitter, Thomson Locations: United States, Ukraine, U.S, VILNIUS, Russia, Russian, Germany, Japan, France, Canada, Italy, Britain, Zelenskiy, Vilnius, Lithuania, Budapest, Moscow, Netherlands, NATO, Kyiv, Soviet Union, Washington, Berlin, Europe

☆ Biden welcomes Finland to NATO ahead of summit with Nordic leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Biden travelled to Finland, which shares a border with Russia, straight from this week's NATO talks in Vilnius, Lithuania to participate in a U.S.-Nordic summit with the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway. He will also hold a joint news conference with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto before heading back to Washington. Ahead of a bilateral meeting with Niinisto, Biden hailed Finland's as an "incredible asset" to the NATO military alliance. Niinisto said Finland's NATO membership heralded "a new era in our security", and applauded Biden for "creating unity" at the Vilnius summit which focused on uniting behind Ukraine. At this week's NATO summit, Biden described Finland and Sweden's push to join NATO as evidence Putin's "craven lust for land and power" had backfired, only serving to strengthen the military alliance.

Persons: Joe Biden disembarks, Finland Sauli, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Biden, Sauli Niinisto, Niinisto, Finland's, Tayyip Erdogan, craven, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Donald Trump, Putin, Steve Holland, Essi, Heather Timmons, Rosalba O'Brien, Emma Rumney Organizations: Air Force, United, Nordic, Summit, Read, NATO, Finland's, Russia, White, Ankara, White House, Thomson Locations: Helsinki, Vantaa, Finland, HELSINKI, Russia, Vilnius, Lithuania, U.S, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Washington, Soviet, Ukraine, Turkey

☆ Secretive and highly paid submariners are behind some of Russia's most worrying undersea operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Known as GUGI, the directorate is responsible for conducting sabotage and surveillance against critical maritime infrastructure, including undersea cables and energy pipelines. NATO's intelligence chief warned this year that Russia could attempt to sabotage undersea cables in retaliation for Western support of Ukraine. Yantar, the special-purpose survey ship, was spotted lingering near undersea cables west of Ireland in 2021. "We know that Russia has the capacity to map but also potentially to conduct actions against critical infrastructure," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on June 16. "That's also the reason why we have, for many years, addressed the vulnerability of critical undersea infrastructure."

Persons: Sidharth Kaushal, Kaushal, GUGI, OLGA MALTSEVA, Sutton, Andrey Luzik, Jens Stoltenberg, That's, Stoltenberg, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: NATO, Service, Directorate, Russian Ministry of Defense, Submarine, Royal United Services Institute, Getty, Barents Observer, Russia Ministry of Defense, US Navy, Norwegian Coast Guard, OLE BERG, NATO Maritime Centre, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russia, GUGI, British, St . Petersburg, AFP, Belgorod, Moscow, Olenya, Baltic, Severomorsk, Europe, Ukraine, Ireland, GUGI's St, Petersburg

VILNIUS, July 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets NATO leaders on Wednesday after they declared his country's future lay inside the alliance but rebuffed his call for a timeline to membership. Zelenskiy will join the NATO leaders on the second day of their summit in Vilnius for an inaugural session of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a body established to upgrade relations between Kyiv and the 31-member transatlantic military alliance. At a rally in Vilnius on Tuesday, Zelenskiy expressed disappointment that NATO had not offered a timeline to membership - a prospect he had earlier branded "absurd". Its leaders on Tuesday reiterated a 2008 declaration that Ukraine would join NATO but also made clear this would not happen automatically after the war ends. Although it did not get what it wanted on membership at the summit, Ukraine has received new pledges of arms from NATO members.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron, Andrius Sytas, Steve Holland, Anna Pruchnicka, Olena Harmash, Lewis Macdonald, Ronald Popeski, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NATO, U.S, Twitter, Patriot, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Vilnius, Ukraine, Kyiv, United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Europe, Russian, Paris

VILNIUS, July 11 (Reuters) - NATO leaders have agreed at a summit in Vilnius that Ukraine's future lies within the alliance but stopped short of handing Kyiv the invitation or timetable for accession that the country has been seeking. At the same time, NATO dropped the requirement for Ukraine to fulfil a so-called Membership Action Plan (MAP), effectively removing a hurdle on Kyiv's way into the alliance. "Ukraine's future is in NATO," a declaration agreed by the leaders on Tuesday said, adding Kyiv's Euro-Atlantic integration had moved beyond the need for a Membership Action Plan. "We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met," the declaration said. Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray and John Irish, Editing by Charlotte Van CampenhoutOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, John Irish, Charlotte Van Campenhout Organizations: NATO, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Vilnius, Ukraine

☆ Analysis: Why Ukraine's plea for NATO membership is such a profound dilemma for the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The president said that the alliance needed to lay out a “rational path” for Ukraine’s membership but that it was still short of some requirements for joining, including over democratization. NATO membership would also boost Ukraine’s bid to cement a democracy that was vulnerable before the war and fulfill the desire of many of its people to join the West. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, last week introduced a resolution calling for a roadmap to Ukraine’s NATO membership as soon as it is practicable. “Guaranteeing Ukraine’s security would erode US security by increasingly the risk, obviously, of war with Russia,” he said. Even if Biden were to amend his position on accelerating NATO membership for Ukraine, he cannot ensure a successor would honor treaty obligations.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, ”, –, Putin, stiffen, Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal, “, We’re, Michael McCaul, Ben Friedman, ” Friedman, Donald Trump, Zelensky Organizations: CNN, NATO, Ukrainian, ABC News, Kremlin, Warsaw, South Carolina Republican, Connecticut Democrat, Ukraine, GOP Rep, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Texas Republican, Defense, American, Soviet, Russia Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Lithuania, Eastern Europe, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Baltic, Latvia, Estonia, Soviet Union, Bucharest, Sens, Connecticut, Russian, United Kingdom, “ State, Western Europe, Israel, Taiwan, United States, Eastern

[1/7] Top ranking official attendees of the NATO summit pose for a family picture in Bucharest April 3, 2008. And officials often cite the Bucharest declaration as a reference point. The parallels with the 2008 summit, held in the colossal Parliament Palace commissioned by Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, have struck many NATO-watchers. But others argue that promising Ukraine NATO membership after the war could encourage Putin to keep the conflict going. They say the Bucharest declaration in fact prompted Putin to test Western Ukrainian militarily in both Ukraine and Georgia.

Persons: Francois Lenoir, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dmytro Kuleba, Nicolae Ceausescu, Orysia, Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Timothy Sayle, Andrew Gray, Kevin Liffey Organizations: NATO, REUTERS, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Chatham House, Russia, Ukraine NATO, University of Toronto, Thomson Locations: Bucharest, VILNIUS, Vilnius, Ukraine, Georgia, U.S, United States, France, Germany, Russia, Moscow, Soviet Union, NATO, Romanian, Russian, Eastern, Ossetia, Tbilisi, Crimea, Ukraine's

While NATO members agree Kyiv cannot join during the war, they have disagreed over how quickly it could happen afterwards and under what conditions. Negotiations have also focused on what conditions Ukraine would have to meet to join NATO and how its progress should be tracked, diplomats say. "I am absolutely certain that we will have unity and a strong message on Ukraine," Stoltenberg told reporters. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year prompted Nordic neighbours Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of military non-alignment and apply to join NATO. Sweden, backed by Stoltenberg and many NATO members, said it had kept all its undertakings to Turkey on the issue.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, General Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Maria Zakharova, Tayyip Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, Erdogan, Kristersson, Ronald Popeski, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: NATO, Diplomats, Alliance, Twitter, Russian Foreign, Nordic, Kurdistan Workers Party, EU, European Union, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Vilnius, Sweden, Lithuanian, Ukraine, Moscow, Eastern Europe, Russia, United States, Germany, NATO, Finland, Turkey, Ankara, Swedish

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

BRUSSELS, July 4 (Reuters) - NATO decided on Tuesday to extend Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s contract by a further year, opting to stick with an experienced leader as war rages on the alliance’s doorstep rather than try to agree on a successor. In a tweet, Stoltenberg said he was honoured by the decision to extend his term to October 1, 2024. "NATO member states have decided logically enough that the best secretary general currently on the market place is the one they already have. Others pressed the case for a first secretary general from eastern Europe. So NATO - and above all its predominant power, the United States - turned back to Stoltenberg.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg’s, Stoltenberg, Jamie Shea, Donald Trump, Ben Wallace, Mette Frederiksen, Shea, Andrew Gray, Marine Strauss, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Peter Graff Organizations: NATO, Diplomats, House, British, Danish, European Union, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Norway, Ukraine, Russian, Europe, North America, Kyiv, Afghanistan, Balkans, Asia, United States, China, France, Vilnius, Lithuania

BRUSSELS, June 29 (Reuters) - European Union leaders will on Thursday debate the repercussions of the aborted mutiny in Russia as they pledge further support for Ukraine in its war against Moscow's invasion. Like several other EU leaders, Kallas said the mutiny showed cracks appearing in Russia's leadership. She said she had seen different views on how the mutiny could affect the Ukraine war and the risk Russia poses to the West. The West should not be swayed and continue to support Ukraine and bolster its own defences, Kallas said. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council of EU leaders, struck a similar note.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Kaja Kallas, Wagner, Kallas, Charles Michel, ”, John Irish, Julia Payne, Kate Abnett, Philip Blenkinsop, Jan Strupczewski, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Union, Ukraine, NATO, Estonian, European Council, EU, Kyiv, Diplomats, Peace, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Russia, Brussels, China, Ukraine, Western, France, United States, U.S, Britain, Germany, Vilnius, Lithuania, Kyiv

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

The commander of the Russian air force Sergey Surovikin and the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have not been seen in public in days as questions swirl about the role Surovikin may have played in Prigozhin’s short-lived mutiny. The Russian air force commander Sergey Surovikin (left) and the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin APWhy is everyone talking about Surovikin? Prigozhin meanwhile, played the central role in the short-lived insurrection – it was he who ordered Wagner troops to take over two military bases and then march on Moscow. Putin assembled Russian security personnel in Moscow Tuesday, telling them they “virtually stopped a civil war” in responding to the insurrection. Prigozhin was last spotted leaving the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don Saturday, after abruptly calling off his troops’ march on Moscow.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Surovikin, “ Surovikin, ”, Alexey Venediktov –, –, Sergey Markov, Surovikin’s, “, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Don Saturday, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Peskov, ” Peskov, Mikhail Gorbachev, , Joe Biden, Josep Borrell Organizations: CNN, Moscow Times, Russian Telegram, Baza, Yevgeny Prigozhin AP, New York Times, PMC Wagner, Russian Ministry of Defense, Kremlin, Street, Belarusian, General Staff, Defense, Ministry, Washington DC, Jamestown Foundation, Russian Aerospace Forces, Human Rights Watch, Union’s, Foreign Affairs Locations: Kremlin, Russian, Moscow, Rostov, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Minsk, St . Petersburg, Ukraine’s, Afghanistan, Syria, Idlib, ”, Brussels, Dagestan, Derbent

☆ US Green Berets are looking to troops from NATO's newest member as 'mentors' for harsh winter combat
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In March, US Green Berets trained in the Arctic with "mentors" from Finland's Utti Jaeger Regiment. The Utti Jaeger RegimentUtti Jaeger Regiment soldiers during training in May 2019. The Utti Jaeger Regiment takes part in about 40 "executive assistance tasks," which likely includes training and real-world missions, each year. But Finnish forces live in those conditions, and the Special Forces soldiers looked up to them because of it. US Green Berets and Utti Jaeger Regiment troops at a helicopter landing zone in Lapland on March 12.

Persons: Finland's Utti, —, Utti Jaeger, Utti, Lance Cpl, Scott Jenkins, Anthony Bryant, Izabella Workman, I'm, Jaeger, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Green Berets, Finland's Utti Jaeger, Service, NATO, Utti, Utti Jaeger, US Marine Corps, Utti Jaeger Regiment, US Army, Staff, US Army Special Forces, Green, Special Forces, Special Forces Group, US, Warfare, Finns, 10th Special Forces Group, US Air Force, Utti Jaeger Regiment Helicopter Battalion, Tech, Special Jaeger Battalion, Army, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Finland, Ukraine, Russia, Lapland, Finland's, Fort Carson, Colorado, Alaska, Europe, Swedish, Johns

☆ WSJ: Wagner boss planned to capture top Russian defense chiefs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin planned to seize two of Russia top military officials when he launched a short-lived mutiny on Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing Western officials. Prigozhin’s plot involved the capture of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top army general Valery Gerasimov when the pair visited a region along the border of Ukraine, the WSJ wrote. Wagner mercenaries took control of a key military base in the city of Rostov-on-Don, and his troops were approaching the Russian capital when Prigozhin called off his mutiny. There has been speculation about the role of senor Russian commanders as the mutiny got underway on Friday night. Viktor Zolotov, the director of Russia’s National Guard, claimed Monday that senior Russian officials knew of Prigozhin’s plans for a rebellion because people close to the Wagner boss had leaked them, Russian state media agency TASS reported.

Persons: CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, Wagner, senor, Sergey Surovikin, “, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, ” Surovikin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin’s, –, Viktor Zolotov, Zolotov, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Western, Federal Security Service, New York Times, Russia’s National Guard, TASS, British, NATO, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Rostov, Prigozhin, Russian, Belarus

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

Asked on June 2 about Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it "would be a potential problem for many, many years." Hanging over the deliberations is the question of whether alliance members can show unity by forging agreements ahead of the July 11-12 summit in the Lithuanian capital. But all agree on the need to further boost Ukraine's security between now and the day it joins NATO. Gabrielle Tarini, co-author of a new RAND Corporation report on Ukraine reconstruction, said that until Ukraine can join NATO the alliance needs to explore such measures. NATO will bolster a program of non-lethal aid for Ukraine's security forces to help them transition from Soviet-era to NATO standards, he said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, NATO Julianne Smith, Smith, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Emmanuel Macron, Gabrielle Tarini, Jonathan Landay, Andrew Gray, Humeyra Pamuk, Andrea Shalal, John Irish, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: NATO, Russian, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Kyiv, Kremlin, Ukraine, U.S . National Security, Diplomats, RAND Corporation, Ukraine Council, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Vilnius, U.S, Germany, Russia, Europe, Lithuanian, Eastern, Poland, United States, Israel, Russian, Kyiv, Washington, Paris

[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

☆ Russia's 'least capable' troops aren't in Ukraine, but they're still causing problems next door, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Moldova, next door to Ukraine, has been under pressure from Russia for decades. Amid the war in Ukraine, Kyiv and Western officials say Moscow is stepping up its interference. As a result of a 1992 war between Moldovan forces and Transnistrian separatists, Russian troops entered the breakaway region to support the separatists. Following that war, Transnistria gained a form of autonomy. SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty ImagesMoldova declared a state of emergency after Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, and it remains in effect.

Persons: —, that's, John Sullivan, SERGUEI VORONIN, Chișinău, Maia Sandu, Diego Herrera Carcedo, SERGEI GAPON, Moldova's, John Kirby, Kirby, Pierre Crom, Thomas de Waal, Dara Massicot, Massicot, Jamar Marcel Pugh, Sandu, Ursula von der Leyen, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Georgetown University, Getty, Moldovan, NATO, EU, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images Moldova, White House National Security Council, Carnegie, RAND Corporation, US Army National Guard, European Commission, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn Locations: Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Transnistria, Kyiv, Western, Moscow, Soviet Union, Romania, Europe, Baltic, Poland, Bender, Transnistrian, Chisinau, May, Lithuania, Sweden, AFP, Russian, Carnegie Europe, NATO, Bulgaria

The warnings came as U.S. and EU envoys concluded visits to Kosovo and Serbia to calm tensions that flared into violence last week, wounding dozens of NATO peace-keeping soldiers and Serb protesters in northern Kosovo. He and the EU's Miroslav Lajcak did not elaborate on what other consequences Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ethnic Albanian-dominated government might face if it did not accede to their demands. "I don't think that these things are resolved with pressure and by mentioning consequences and even sanctions," Kurti told reporters on Wednesday. "We have challenges with EU and U.S. envoys but our bilateral relations with the EU and U.S. are excellent." Lajcak said on Monday that the envoys presented proposals to Kurti to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo, adding they had a "long, honest, difficult discussion".

Persons: Balkans Gabriel Escobar, Escobar, Miroslav Lajcak, Albin Kurti's, Kurti, Lajcak, Vjosa Osmani, Peter Stano, Lajacak, Josep Borrell, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Kosovo’s, Kosovo PM, European Union, Kosovo, NATO, U.S, EU, United, Reuters, Washington, Europe, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, BRUSSELS, United States, Kosovo, Serbia, Balkans, Belgrade, U.S, EU

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke in Finland Friday about peace talks in Ukraine. "The prerequisite for meaningful diplomacy and real peace is a stronger Ukraine," he said. Blinken described the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a catastrophic strategic failure for Moscow that had strengthened NATO, the European Union and Ukraine. Ukrainian officials acknowledged their forces were responsible and claimed Russian ships were evacuating the port. The U.K. Ministry of Defense said the incursions could be a Ukrainian strategy to disperse Russian forces before a counteroffensive.

Persons: Antony Blinken, —, Blinken, Potemkin, Grigory Potemkin, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Washington, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Serhii Popko, Denis Pushilin, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Roman Starovoit, Alexander Bogomaz Organizations: Service, —, Kremlin, NATO, European Union, General's, Gov, Russia Legion, Air, Ministry of Defense Locations: Finland, Ukraine, United States, Russia, China, Moscow, Kyiv, Crimean, Sweden, Baltic, Beijing, Brazil, Western, Azov, Berdyansk, Russian, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Donetsk province, Russia's Belgorod, Belgorod, Kursk, Russia's Bryansk, Russia's, Smolensk, Belarus

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Zelenskyy ramps up pressure for NATO membership; Russia says its border villages shelled
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

NATO allies are left to deliberate Ukraine's membership to the alliance, following a major European security summit in Moldova that saw Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy push for his country's ability to join the Western defense organization. The prospect of Ukraine's NATO membership is a contentious one over which member states are sharply divided, with many fearing further retaliation from Moscow. It is virtually impossible for a state to join NATO while that country is currently at war or has part of its territory occupied by a non-NATO adversarial state, given the risk that would pose to the rest of the members. Meanwhile, Kyiv's military reports it shot down more than 30 Russian missiles and drones in an early morning attack, and Russian authorities in the country's western border regions say some of their villages have been shelled by Ukrainian forces.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: NATO Locations: Moldova, Moscow, Russian, Ukrainian

Violence flared on Monday after Kosovo authorities, backed by special police units, installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in northern municipalities. Speaking after the meeting with Vucic, Osmani accused the Serbian leader of "whining and complaining and ... not telling the truth". But she said Kosovo could hold new elections in the north with Serb participation if they were triggered legally. Earlier in the day, neither leader had expressed any desire to meet with the other, before relenting under international pressure. Vucic said Kosovo authorities should withdraw "alleged mayors" from the north and declared the Kosovo special police units were there illegally.

Persons: Vjosa, Aleksandar Vucic, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Vucic, Osmani, Macron, Scholz, Mimi, Vladislav Culiomza Macron, Albin Kurti, Jens Stoltenberg, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Sabine Siebold, Tassilo Hummel, Daria Sito, Edmund Blair, Daniel Wallis Organizations: EU, Kosovo, NATO, Political, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: BULBOACA, Moldova, Kosovo, Serbia, France, Germany, United States, Serbian, Belgrade, Paris, Berlin, Bulboaca, Oslo

Search resuls for: "European Security"

25 mentions found