logo
Nato chief asks alliance members to make 'quantum leap'

Nato chief asks alliance members to make 'quantum leap'

The National2 days ago

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte will warn on Monday that a '400 per cent increase' in air and missile defence capacity is needed to counter the threat from Russia.
The Nato chief is meeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London amid calls by Donald Trump for members of the transatlantic alliance to increase defence spending to five per cent of GDP. The current target is two per cent.
Mr Rutte believes a 'quantum leap' in collective defence is needed.
He is expected to warn that 'wishful thinking will not keep us safe' and say that Nato must become a 'stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance' to protect itself.
'We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,' Mr Rutte will say in a speech to the Chatham House think tank in London.
His comments come ahead of a Nato summit in the Netherlands this month and amid mounting pressure by Mr Trump on Nato members to increase defence spending.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week in Brussels that the allies were close to agreeing the five per cent target, which could be formalised at the summit in The Hague.
Nato members have been scrambling to bolster their defence capabilities since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
'Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends,' Mr Rutte will say. 'We need a quantum leap in our collective defence … We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full.
'Our militaries also need thousands more armoured vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells.'
The UK's Strategic Defence Review, which was published last week, recommended sweeping changes, including a greater focus on new technology, including drones and artificial intelligence based on rising budgets.
It included plans to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines and six munitions factories to rearm the country in response to Russia's threat.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Israeli hard-liners Ben-Gvir and Smotrich hit by UK-led sanctions
Israeli hard-liners Ben-Gvir and Smotrich hit by UK-led sanctions

The National

timean hour ago

  • The National

Israeli hard-liners Ben-Gvir and Smotrich hit by UK-led sanctions

Two senior Israeli cabinet ministers have had sanctions imposed in a British -led move, leading to a major diplomatic fallout. Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich face travel bans and financial restrictions from the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. In an official statement, the British government said the pair were 'now sanctioned for their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians, effective immediately'. We expect the UK government to recognise the state of Palestine. This is good but does not get us to that point Husam Zomlot In a joint statement with foreign ministers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now – to hold those responsible to account. 'We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas, which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution.' It is a significant escalation in political pressure against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. The souring of relations with friendly western countries was further cemented after a senior Israeli cabinet minister condemned the sanctions as 'outrageous' and 'unacceptable'. The US State Department also condemned the sanctions against the two Israeli ministers. 'We find that extremely unhelpful,' department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. 'It will do nothing to get us closer to a ceasefire in Gaza. 'If our allies want to help, they should focus on supporting special envoy Steve Witkoff's negotiations and back the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation when it comes to food and aid.' Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian m ission to the UK, welcomed the government's response to the ministers repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities. Speaking exclusively to The National, he called the move a 'significant step in the right direction'. 'These two ministers have been publicly calling for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, not only by words but by deeds,' Mr Zomlot said. 'These two ministers have been literally physically arming illegal settlers [who are] going on the rampage, committing all the crimes that the world has been following.' 'Sanctioning these ministers is absolutely the right step in the right direction.' Mr Zomlot called on London to make further changes to its policy in response to developments across the Palestinian territory. 'This is not a substitute for the arms embargo, not a substitute for sanctions on the entire ecosystem of illegality, including settlements, and not a substitute for the recognition of the state of Palestine.' With a French and Saudi-sponsored conference on advancing the two-state solution taking place on June 17 to 20 at UN headquarters, Mr Zomlot said the opportunity was looming for the UK to announce that step. 'We are awaiting that conference next week, we expect the UK government to recognise the state of Palestine. This is good but does not get us to that point.' But Israel's renewed Gaza offensive, which has seen the death toll of Palestinians increase to 55,700, has turned international opinion against Israel. British MPs from all parties have in recent weeks become angry at Israel's actions and condemn the UK government's failure to impose sanctions or recognise the Palestinian state. Mr Lammy and Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer have faced accusations of Israeli killings and inhumane treatment of Palestinians. From January last year to April this year extremist settlers have carried out more than 1,900 attacks against Palestinian civilians, the UK government said. The diplomatic fallout began even before the sanctions were officially announced with Israel's government reacting furiously after Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar condemned the 'British sanctions list'. 'It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures.' Mr Netanyahu will hold a special government meeting early next week 'to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision', he added. Mr Ben-Gvir posted a message on X, saying: 'We survived Pharaoh, we will also survive Keir Starmer. I will continue to work for Israel and the people of Israel without fear or intimidation.' In further retaliation to the sanctions Mr Smotrich allegedly threatened to stop transferring funds to the Palestinian Authority. Even the pair's political foe, Benny Gantz, said that while he 'deeply' disagreed with their views, the sanctions were a 'profound moral failure and a bad message to the entire world' that he claimed would 'fuel global terrorism'. Tuesday's action could have a unifying effect on the Israeli government, which is comprised of a fragile coalition that includes hard-right and ultra-Orthodox figures. This has allowed Mr Smotrich to approve the expansion of illegal West Bank settlements while he has also vigorously campaigned against allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, He caused outrage after stating that he would allow 'not even a grain of wheat' to enter the territory and only last month stated that Gaza would be 'entirely destroyed'. He also referred to ethnic cleansing by suggesting that Palestinians should 'leave in great numbers to third countries'. His colleague Mr Ben-Gvir, who was convicted of incitement to racism in 2007, has also stoked fires by advocating the replacement of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem with a synagogue. He has also called for Palestinians to be expelled from Gaza and stated that 'there is no need to bring in aid, they have enough'. Among senior MPs who have called for stronger action against the pair has been Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of the foreign affairs committee. 'I and others have been calling for sanctions on these extremist Israeli ministers for the better part of a year,' she posted on X. 'The government is finally doing the right thing.' In reference to the summit jointly hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, she argued that the sanctions 'must be a precursor to recognising a Palestinian state next week – not an alternative to it'.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed welcomed to US State Department by Marco Rubio
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed welcomed to US State Department by Marco Rubio

The National

time3 hours ago

  • The National

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed welcomed to US State Department by Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the State Department on Tuesday. Sheikh Abdullah was greeted by Mr Rubio in Washington a day after Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau welcomed UAE Assistant Foreign Minister Lana Nusseibeh to the State Department. US President Donald Trump visited the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar last month for a major trip that saw major business and investment announcements and the US lifting sanctions on Syria. Mr Rubio and Sheikh Abdullah appeared briefly in front of cameras but did not take any questions. Mr Rubio later said that he and Sheikh Abdullah worked to sustain momentum from Mr Trump's "historic visit" to Abu Dhabi. "We discussed economic opportunities, regional security, and humanitarian efforts to mark the growing partnership between the United States and the UAE," Mr Rubio said on X. Mr Landau said in a statement that during Monday's meeting with Ms Nusseibeh, the two discussed security, stability and prosperity in the Middle East as well as a path to ending the conflict in Sudan.

US sanctions charities it says are linked to Hamas's armed wing
US sanctions charities it says are linked to Hamas's armed wing

Middle East Eye

time3 hours ago

  • Middle East Eye

US sanctions charities it says are linked to Hamas's armed wing

The US on Tuesday sanctioned five individuals and five charities that it said were providing financial support to Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, in addition to one charity it said was supporting the Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine (PLFP). 'Today's action underscores the importance of safeguarding the charitable sector from abuse by terrorists like Hamas and the PFLP, who continue to leverage sham charities as fronts for funding their terrorist and military operations,' Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender said in a statement. 'Treasury will continue to use all available tools to prevent Hamas, the PFLP, and other terrorist actors from exploiting the humanitarian situation in Gaza to fund their violent activities at the expense of their own people,' he added. The US has long designated Hamas and the PLFP as terror organisations. The sweeping sanctions hit organisations from the Middle East and Europe. Filistin Vakfi, a Turkey-based charity that the US said 'campaigned and raised funds with the clear intention of funding Hamas terrorist activities', was sanctioned along with its president, Zeki Abdullah Ibrahim Ararawi. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The sanctions also targeted the Netherlands-based Israa Charitable Foundation and the Italy-based Associazione Benefica La Cupola d'Oro. The US said the former 'reports directly to the Hamas military wing and is composed of additional US-designated organizations that generate revenue for Hamas under the guise of legitimate charitable work'. The US said the Italy-based organisation was founded by Mohammad Hannoun, previously sanctioned in October 2024, 'who publicly promoted the charity and used it to continue evading sanctions and raising revenue for the Hamas military wing through donors, many of whom were unwitting of the links to Hamas'. The US also sanctioned Al Weam Charitable Society in Gaza for allegedly supporting Hamas's military wing and the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association in the occupied West Bank over its alleged links to the PFLP. The US sanctions will freeze any assets the organisations or people have within the US and bar them from conducting any US dollar-based financial transactions. US sanctions carry heft because the dollar is the world's reserve currency. The US has rolled out a steady stream of sanctions on Hamas since its military wing led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023. In response, Israel unleashed a devastating assault on the Gaza Strip. According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 54,981 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October 2023, including more than 28,000 women and girls. The figure also includes at least 1,400 health sector professionals, 280 United Nations aid workers - the highest staff death toll in UN history - and 227 journalists, the highest number of media workers killed in conflict since the Committee to Protect Journalists began recording data in 1992.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store