Contents tagged with NATO

  • Germany’s Defense Minister calls for transparency of Russian military movements

    In her interview with Bild am Sonntag, the Minister of Defense of Germany, Ursula von der Leyen, called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization the strongest existing military alliance and called on Russia to openly report the number of its troops and its movements. “It would be an appropriate step if Russia and NATO continue to exchange information on movements and number of their troops within OSCE,” the Minister stated. Von der Leyen favored improving relations with Russia, noting that Moscow …

  • Georgian Defense Minister: Brexit does not change Georgia's relationship with the EU and NATO

    Georgian Defense Minister Tinatin Khidasheli believes that the UK’s decision to withdraw from the European Union will not affect the relationship between Georgia and the EU, Interfax-Ukraine reported. She also said that Georgia’s relationship with NATO remains unchanged.

    Commenting on the UK’s referendum, in which 52% of voters supported leaving the EU, Khidasheli said “of course this changes international politics and international relations,” but in the matter of cooperation between Georgia …

  • Macierewicz: Brexit will not weaken NATO

    On the 24th of June, Antoni Macierewicz stated that withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU won’t affect the relationship of the country to NATO and will not weaken the Alliance, Radio Polsha reported.

    “There are no reasons for hysteria. The European Union is a union of sovereign and independent states. Each country has a right to decide its own fate. The United Kingdom made its choice,” Macierewicz stated.

    The Polish Minister of National Defense noted that the possibility of the …

  • Kiev: NATO's assistance has no direct influence on the situation in the Donbas

    The help that Kiev receives from NATO is not related to the situation in the Donbas, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine, citing the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, Igor Dolgov.

    "NATO is not a party to the Minsk Agreements. To date, the alliance is just a partner organization to Ukraine. Moreover, we are a special strategic partner to NATO. That is why the help from the alliance is not directly related to the fighting in eastern Ukraine. It has no direct impact on the situation in the ATO …

  • Russian Duma warns NATO of the threat of a new Cold War

    The State Duma [Parliament] of the Russian Federation adopted a statement to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE, as well as to the national parliaments of the Balkan states, in which it warned about the possibility of starting a new ‘Cold War,’ as reported by Russia's TASS news agency.

    The statement particularly notes the necessity to "intensify the dialogue in connection with the danger of the U.S. missile defense system deployment in Eastern European countries and NATO’s policy of …

  • NATO and Ukraine to develop framework to counter hybrid war

    NATO together with Ukraine will work on creating a new framework to counter hybrid warfare. This was reported by Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Igor Dolgov, at the press briefing on Wednesday, June 22 as reported by RBC-Ukraine.

    “A new mutual framework to counter the hybrid war will be a practically a new undertaking. This is unlike anything we have had before. We hope that after the  specific political approvals are made Kiev will become the center of this mutual operation,” Dolgov …

  • Lithuania reinstates general military conscription

    Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė has signed the law on the introduction of universal military service in the country on an ongoing basis.

    According to the Lithuanian news portal Delfi, the law, previously approved by the Council of State Defense, provides for the transition of the Lithuanian army from fully professional to a mixed-type system. At the moment, more than ten thousand people are serving in the Armed Forces of Lithuania.

    Previously, the introduction of universal …

  • US Army in Europe Commander: NATO will be unable to defend Baltics if Russia attacks

    The Commander of the United States Army Europe, Lieutenant General Frederick Benjamin Hodges, believes that NATO will not be able to protect the Baltic States if Russia attacks them.

    “Russia could invade the Baltic States faster than we could come there to defend them," the Lieutenant General said in an interview with the German weekly Die Zeit, published on June 22.

    Hodges said that he agrees with the estimate of military analysts that the Russian troops could capture the capital cities of …

  • US General: Russia can deploy its troops much faster than NATO

    In an interview with the BBC, General Ben Hodges, the commander of U.S. land forces in Europe claimed that NATO has to simplify the mechanism of relocating the military units between the countries, to be able to respond quickly to potential threats from the Russian Federation.

    "Twenty thousand armed people may appear on the borders of NATO, or at the borders of Georgia, or Ukraine. This is a serious concern. The Russians have what we call freedom of movement on the interior lines. They can …

  • Lithuania to buy Javelin anti-tank missiles from the US

    The Ministry of Defense of Lithuania announced that the Lithuanian army will acquire Javelin portable anti-tank missiles and supporting equipments from US. The deal is worth 8 million dollars and is based on a previously signed agreement with the two countries

    “The acquisition of Javelin portable anti-tank missiles will be made to further strengthen the capabilities of the Lithuanian army,” a press release stated.

    The Lithuanian Ministry of defense further elaborated that the purchase will be …