Russian threat will not disappear when the war in Ukraine ends, Rutte says
Russia will remain an imminent threat to Nato even if there is eventual peace in Ukraine, and the western alliance has to increase its air and missiles defences, its secretary general, Mark Rutte, warned in a speech at the Chatham House thinktank in London. 'Let's not kid ourselves, we are all on the eastern flank. There is no east or west, there is just Nato,' he said, adding that for Russian missiles 'the distance between European capitals is only a few minutes'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
No. 2 US diplomat questions need for NATO in deleted social media post
WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - The number two U.S. diplomat questioned the need for NATO in a post on X - which he later deleted - as the alliance prepares for an annual summit expected to be dominated by a U.S. demand for higher defense spending and Russia's war on Ukraine. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau was replying to a social media thread by Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO. Whitaker in his post said that what happened in the Indo-Pacific mattered for transatlantic security. "He obviously didn't get the memo our [sic] of our Deputies Committee meeting on this very issue," Landau wrote at 6:56 pm on Wednesday, referring to Whitaker. "NATO is still a solution in search of a problem." It was not clear if Landau meant for his message to be public or if he intended to send Whitaker's post to a third person. "This was a casual, lighthearted remark intended for a brief, private exchange," a State Department spokesperson said in emailed comments. "The Deputy Secretary's comment was in the context of his desire to improve NATO and ensure it remains focused on its mission," the spokesperson said. Landau's post was later deleted. The Deputies Committee is subordinate to the National Security Council and composed of deputy secretaries of State, Defense and other agencies, according to the White House website. The administration of former President Joe Biden had pushed the European allies to pay more attention to the threats in the Indo-Pacific, particularly from China, but the Trump administration has encouraged those allies to focus on their own security. Landau's post contrasts with views of most of NATO's European members, who see Russia and its war on Ukraine as an existential threat, and the U.S.-led alliance as their main means of defense. His post came as NATO leaders prepare for a two-day summit in the Hague beginning on June 24, where they will consider U.S. President Donald Trump's demand that they boost defense spending to 5% of GDP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to attend the meeting. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, he regularly has attended NATO summits, and alliance members have pledged billions in weapons and condemned Russia for an illegal war of conquest. Trump has shifted U.S. policy, partially accepting Moscow's justifications for its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and disparaging Zelenskiy. European allies have expressed concern about Trump's commitment to the 32-member alliance and its support for Ukraine's battle against Russia's occupation forces.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
France blocking Britain from EU's massive defence fund
France is trying to shut out British arms firms from the EU's defence industrial programme despite the post-Brexit reset. A diplomatic source told The Telegraph that Paris was seeking to restrict member states looking to make a purchase under the scheme to weapons made mostly within the bloc. The European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) is being touted by the European Commission as the largest overhaul of the Continent's industrial base. It will see EU cash pumped into joint procurement projects and the production of weapons, ammunition and other military hardware. EDIP, which has been six months in the making, is part of a wider scramble to spend €800 billion on defence by the end of the decade. French diplomats have insisted the tool should be solely used to boost firms based inside the EU, as well as Norway and Ukraine. This means any member states looking to make a purchase under the scheme will be restricted to technologies with at least 85 per cent of its parts made in the bloc. The demand means that Britain, which recently signed a flagship defence and security agreement with Brussels, will be shut out from the majority of projects being funded by the EU's budget. The UK will also be blocked from joint procurement projects under the EDIP scheme. 'Not even a month ago, we solemnly declared the turning of pages and opening of new chapters in our relationship with the UK,' an EU diplomat told The Telegraph. 'Yet, at the first occasion to turn those words into action, we have slammed the book shut.' There are also fears the hard-line French position will see potential EU funding cut from factories producing Patriot surface-to-air interceptors, because they are a US technology. It comes at a time when Nato's European allies and Canada were warned they would have to increase air defence systems by 400 per cent to protect against the prospect of a Russian attack. 'It seems self-defeating to exclude investments in the one readily available air defence system, simply because it's American,' the diplomat added. Emmanuel Macron, France's president, has consistently pushed for EU defence schemes to be used to boost the Continent's own industry, rather than allowing funds to be invested in foreign firms. Bogged down in red tape Many militaries across the EU, such as the Netherlands, Romania and Greece, have built their defensive strategies around the procurement of American systems, like Patriot air defence batteries. To mitigate concerns, there are discussions over allowing the transfer of technologies from non-EU defence firms to businesses based in the bloc. But insiders have said this mechanism will likely become bogged down in red tape, making it practically impossible to secure funds for.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Russia's Putin calls for quick development of drone forces
June 12 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that drones had played a major role in the conflict in Ukraine and called for the rapid development and deployment of separate drone forces within the military. "We are currently creating unmanned systems troops as a separate branch of the military and we need to ensure their rapid and high-quality deployment and development," Russian news agencies quoted him as saying at a meeting on arms development. Drones have played a leading role for both sides in the more than three-year-old conflict pitting Moscow against Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has since the outbreak of the war in February 2022 stressed the importance of developing a domestic drone development and production industry. Putin told the second day of the gathering that Russia was well aware how Ukraine was dealing with the issue. "But on the whole, I do not believe we are lagging behind on anything," he was quoted as saying. "More to the point, it seems to me we are bringing together good experience with a view to creating just such forces." Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov proposed the creation of a drone force late last year, setting a target date of the third quarter of 2025. Putin also stressed developing air defences, which he said had destroyed more than 80,000 targets during the conflict that Russia still calls a special military operation. "In this respect, a new state armaments programme must ensure the construction of a versatile air defence system capable of operating in any circumstances and efficiently striking air attack weapons, regardless of their type," he said. On the opening day of the meeting, Putin called for due attention to be paid to the nuclear triad of land-based, sea-based and aircraft-launched weapons.
