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☆ NATO's Stoltenberg: Putin trying to use winter as war weapon against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BUCHAREST, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Russia will likely continue attacking Ukraine's power grid, its gas infrastructure and basic services for the people, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. "Doing that when we enter winter demonstrates that President (Vladimir) Putin is now trying to use ... the winter as a weapon of war against Ukraine," he told reporters at a news conference in Bucharest ahead of a two-day NATO foreign ministers' meeting. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ NATO will not back down but continue supporting Ukraine - Stoltenberg
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - NATO will not let down in its support of Ukraine and also ramp up non-lethal aid for the country, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday. "NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will not back down," he told reporters in Brussels ahead of a foreign ministers' meeting of the alliance in Bucharest next week. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Decision over sending Patriot air defence to Ukraine lies with nations - NATO
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The decision whether to send Patriot air defence units to Ukraine lies with the specific nations, NATO's chief said on Friday when asked about Polish demands for Germany to pass on Patriot units to Kyiv. The decisions over specific systems are national decisions, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters, adding that end user agreements and other arrangements sometimes meant that consultations with other allies were required. Patriot is produced by the U.S. company Raytheon (RTX.N). Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"We are talking with our allies about how to handle Poland's ... suggestion," a German government spokesperson told reporters in Berlin. Berlin offered Warsaw the Patriot system to help secure its airspace after a stray missile crashed and killed two people in Poland last week. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak later asked Germany to send the fire units to Ukraine instead. Stoltenberg's comments came after German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht on Thursday said sharing Germany's Patriot units outside NATO territory would require prior discussions with NATO and the allies. Duda later said that Germany could send the Patriot units to Ukraine without NATO troops to operate them, something he says Kyiv has been asking for for a while.

☆ German Patriot air defence units intended for NATO territory, Berlin tells Warsaw
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Berlin made it clear on Thursday that the Patriot air defence units it offered to Poland are intended for use on NATO territory, countering demands by Warsaw for the system to be sent to Ukraine. "These Patriots are part of NATO's integrated air defence, meaning they are intended to be deployed on NATO territory," German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said in Berlin. "Any use outside NATO territory would require prior discussions with NATO and the allies," she added. Berlin offered Warsaw the Patriot missile defence system to help secure its airspace after a stray missile crashed and killed two people in Poland last week. Today, the German forces are down to 12 Patriot units, two of which are deployed to Slovakia.

REUTERS/Yves HermanSummary Attack followed EU declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorismBRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Parliament's website was unavailable for several hours on Wednesday due to a denial-of-service attack by "Pro-Kremlin" hackers, after its lawmakers designated Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, the institute's president said. The parliament's website was up again shortly after 1700 GMT, around two hours after the institution had reported the outage. "The European Parliament is under a sophisticated cyberattack. A pro-Kremlin group has claimed responsibility," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a tweet shortly after the website went down. The move is largely symbolic, as the European Union does not have a legal framework in place to back it up.

☆ European Parliament declares Russia a state sponsor of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Parliament on Wednesday designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, arguing Moscow's military strikes on civilian targets such as energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools and shelters violated international law. European lawmakers voted in favour of a resolution calling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the United States and other countries to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, accusing its forces of targeting civilians, which Moscow denies. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has so far refused to list Russia despite resolutions in both chambers of Congress urging him to do so. In the EU, the parliaments of four countries have so far designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to the European Parliamentary Research Service: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland.

☆ Kosovo delays fining Serb drivers for 2 days after U.S. request
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Around 50,000 ethnic Serbs who live in Kosovo refuse to recognise Pristina's authority, and still consider themselves a part of Serbia. Belgrade has said it will never recognise Kosovo's independence. Hundreds of police officers, judges, prosecutors and other state workers from the Serb minority quit their jobs this month after Pristina ruled that local Serbs must finally replace car plates issued by Kosovo Serb municipal authorities, loyal to Belgrade, with Kosovo state ones. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the talks, blamed mainly Kosovo for rejecting an EU proposal on how to resolve the dispute. NATO, which has around 3,700 peacekeepers in Kosovo, said it was ready to intervene should the security situation be threatened.

☆ Germany to offer Poland Patriot system after stray missile crash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Germany has offered Warsaw the Patriot missile defence system to help it to secure its airspace after a stray missile crashed in Poland last week, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht told a newspaper on Sunday. "We have offered Poland support in securing airspace - with our Eurofighters and with Patriot air defence systems," Lambrecht told the Rheinische Post and General Anzeiger. Ground-based air defence systems such as Raytheon's (RTX.N) Patriot are built to intercept incoming missiles. More than a dozen NATO allies led by Germany in October kicked off an initiative to jointly procure air defence systems for several layers of threats, including Patriot. Germany had 36 Patriot units when it was NATO's frontline state during the Cold War.

BERLIN/PARIS, Nov 18 (Reuters) - France, Germany and Spain have reached agreement over starting the next phase of the development of a new fighter jet dubbed FCAS, Europe's largest defence project at an estimated cost of more than 100 billion euros, two sources told Reuters on Friday. The three countries and their respective industries had struck a deal, said a defence source who spoke on condition of anonymity and did not give details. According to earlier information, the next development phase for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is expected to cost some 3.5 billion euros ($3.63 billion), to be shared equally by the three countries. France's Dassault (AM.PA), Airbus (AIR.PA) and Indra (IDR.MC) - the latter two representing Germany and Spain respectively - are involved in the scheme to start replacing French Rafale and German and Spanish Eurofighters from 2040. ($1 = 0.9642 euros)Writing by Sabine Siebold, Editing by Miranda, Kirsti KnolleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ NATO holds emergency meeting on Poland blast, discusses air defence
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - NATO ambassadors held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss a missile that hit Poland close to the Ukrainian border, with at least two alliance members calling for steps to strengthen air defence on the military alliance's eastern wing. It was unclear whether that would still be the case, after a source said Biden told G7 and NATO partners that the missile blast was caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile. The emergency NATO ambassadors' meeting was in any case likely to discuss air defence, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger said. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said NATO should swiftly deploy more air defences on the Polish-Ukrainian border and the rest of the alliance's eastern flank. The explosion near the Ukrainian border came as Russia unleashed a wave of missiles targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, attacks that Kyiv said were the heaviest in nearly nine months of war.

☆ Decision on negotiations with Russia is up to Ukraine, EU top diplomat says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - It is up to Ukraine to decide when to enter negotiations with Russia, the European Union's top diplomat said on Monday, commenting on speculations the West might push Kyiv to start talks with Moscow. "Ukraine will decide what to do. Our duty is to support them", EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said as he arrived for a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Marine StraussOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU sanctions to target Iran Guards 'inner circle', Germany says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Fresh European Union sanctions will target the "inner circle of power" of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Germany said on Monday as the bloc convened to respond to what it has condemned as Tehran's widespread use of force against peaceful protesters. So far, 336 demonstrators have been killed in the unrest and nearly 15,100 detained, according to the activist HRANA news agency. "New sanctions will target in particular the inner circle of power of the Revolutionary Guards and the structures financing them." EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the decision on talks was up to Ukraine. EU foreign ministers will discuss increasing support for Kyiv during the winter and also touch on a ninth package of sanctions on Russia, though diplomats say no decision is expected yet.

☆ We cannot put China on a par with Russia, top EU diplomat says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUENSTER, Germany, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Western countries need to reduce their dependence on China but should not put it in the same category as Russia, the European Union's top diplomat said on the second day of a meeting of the Group of Seven foreign ministers in Germany. China hawks have said the trip risks appearing as a stamp of approval for Xi and a sign Germany will continue to prioritize its economic relations with Beijing over security and strategic considerations. "It is clear that China is .. becoming much more assertive, much more on a self-reliant course," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters. "But for the time being, many member states have a strong economic relationship with China and I don't think we can put China and Russia on the same level." "Africa is suffering a lot from the war in Ukraine because Russia is blocking food, destroying agricultural transport infrastructures," said Borrell.

The top diplomats of the G7 rich democracies will join sessions in the western German city of Muenster focusing on Ukraine, China and the Indo-Pacific as well as Iran and Africa, among others. "G7 partners will now together kick off winter aid for Ukraine," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at the opening of the event. The joint winter aid will be coordinated by G7 partners, she noted. Japan and Germany have agreed to work towards a military logistics pact, a Japanese government official said on Thursday after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 meeting. The G7 session was being hosted by Germany as holder of the group's rotating presidency.

☆ NATO calls on Russia to urgently renew Ukraine grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 30 (Reuters) - NATO on Sunday called on Moscow to urgently renew the U.N.-brokered deal that enabled Ukraine to resume grain exports via the Black Sea amid a global food crisis. "President Putin must stop weaponising food and end his illegal war on Ukraine," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. "We call on Russia to reconsider its decision and renew the deal urgently, enabling food to reach those who need it most." All NATO allies had welcomed the agreement that came about with the help of Turkey, she noted. "These exports have helped reduce food prices the world over," Lungescu added.

☆ EU urges Moscow to revoke suspension of Ukraine grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The European Union on Sunday called on Russia to reverse its decision to pull out of a U.N.-brokered deal that enabled Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea amid a global food crisis. "Russia's decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea deal puts at risk the main export route of much needed grain and fertilisers to address the global food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter. "The EU urges Russia to (reverse) its decision." In a move that provoked international outrage, Moscow on Saturday said it was suspending participation in the Black Sea deal, which has sought to avert famine and tame inflation, in response to what it called a major Ukrainian drone attack on its fleet. Reporting by Sabine Siebold; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kosovo should give Serbs more time to change car plates, EU says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kosovo said on Friday it would delay a rule to confiscate cars owned by ethnic Serbs who refuse to use local car plates following criticism by Western countries that such a move may aggravate ethnic tensions. Kosovo has attempted a few times this year to require its Serb minority to change their old car plates that date before 1999 when Kosovo was still part of Serbia. The last deadline was Nov. 1 when around 10,000 motorists had to switch their old car registrations. He said drivers would first be given warnings for three weeks, then be fined for a period of two months, followed by a period of temporary car plates. Kosovo declared independence in 2008 but around 50,000 ethnic Serbs who live in the northern part of Kosovo refuse to recognize Pristina's authority and still consider themselves a part of Serbia.

☆ Germany's Scholz confirms visit to China in November with business delegation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's said on Friday he will travel to China with a delegation of business leaders, though he declined to confirm whether he would travel with French President Emmanuel Macron. Scholz's spokesperson said the trip would happen at the start of November. The trip comes at a time when Berlin is reviewing its trade relationship with Beijing and Scholz's coalition is debating whether to allow Chinese shipping giant Cosco to invest in Germany's largest port in the northern city of Hamburg. Speaking in Brussels at the sidelines of a European Union summit, Scholz also said that EU leaders now had a precise framework for reducing energy prices and agreed that no country would be outvoted on energy policy. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Sabine Siebold; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Thomas EscrittOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU should treat China more as a competitor, says diplomat chief
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The European Union should recognise China even more as a competitor and reduce its economic dependency, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday, as the bloc looks to fine-tune relations with Beijing. The bloc has regarded China since 2019 as a partner, tough economic competitor and systemic rival. Borrell told reporters after Monday's ministerial meeting that the role of competitor had become more central. EU diplomats say Brussels is concerned that Xi is setting China on an increasingly authoritarian path and is uneasy about Chinese partnership with Russia. "The objective is not to change radically this policy but, obviously things have happened," one EU official said.

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Some European Union foreign ministers on Monday called for new sanctions against Iran if Tehran's involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine is proven. Ukraine has reported a spate of Russian attacks with Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks. "We will look for concrete evidence about the participation (of Iran in the Ukraine war)," Josep Borrell told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, adding Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba would take part in the gathering. Additional EU sanctions on Iran will not be limited to blacklisting some individuals should Tehran's involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine be proven, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said. "Then it will be no longer about some individuals to be sanctioned," he told reporters as he arrived for the EU meeting.

☆ EU set to train 15,000 Ukrainian troops, provide more arms funding for Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers are expected to agree on a mission to train 15,000 Ukrainian troops from next month and an extra 500 million euros worth of funding for arms deliveries to Kyiv when they meet in Luxembourg on Monday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSeveral EU countries have already been instructing Ukrainian troops on how to use specific weapons and this will continue. Unlike earlier tranches, the additional money will also cover costs for repair and maintenance of weapons already delivered to Ukraine. EU foreign ministers will also discuss the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia, opening the way for potential further sanctions that could be agreed at a later date. He said the bloc's leaders would discuss China policy at a summit on Thursday and Friday, and the EU would also monitor closely the Communist Party Congress that opened on Sunday.

☆ NATO to kick off nuclear drills involving B-52 bombers on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The nuclear drills - which do not involve live bombs - are taking place amid heightened tensions after Russia repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes in Ukraine following major military setbacks on the battlefield there. "Steadfast Noon" is likely to coincide with Moscow's own annual nuclear drills, dubbed "Grom", which are normally conducted in late October and in which Russia tests its nuclear-capable bombers, submarines and missiles. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterNATO said the Western drills were not prompted by the latest tensions with Russia. "This exercise helps ensure that the alliance's nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective," said NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu. On Tuesday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg made clear that the alliance would proceed with its drills despite the tense international situation.

☆ Exclusive: EU ministers to discuss Iran drones to Russia, future sanctions, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Iran denies supplying the drones to Russia, while the Kremlin has not commented. An EU spokesperson said foreign ministers would discuss Iran on Monday but declined to comment on whether Iranian drones or sanctions on drone transfers would be on the agenda. The United States on Sept. 9 imposed sanctions on an Iranian company it accused of coordinating military flights to transport Iranian drones to Russia and three other companies it said were involved in the production of Iranian drones. The discussion on drones comes as EU foreign ministers prepare to rubber-stamp sanctions on Iran on Monday over human rights abuses involved in the crackdown on protesters. It said external factors were the cause of the protests stoked by "war-mongering factions in the United States".

☆ Germany, 13 NATO allies aim to jointly procure air defence systems
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht speaks at a news conference, on the day of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence German-led battle group inauguration ceremony, in Rukla, Lithuania October 8, 2022. REUTERS/Ints KalninsBRUSSELS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Germany and 13 NATO allies on Thursday signed a letter of intent for the joint procurement of air defence systems in the category of systems such as Arrow 3 (ISRAI.UL) and Patriot (RTX.N). The signing ceremony took place at NATO's headquarters in Brussels. The participating countries are Germany, Britain, Slovakia, Norway, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, Czechia, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Sabine Siebold, Marine StraussOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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