Poland Says Intercepted Russian Su-24 Bomber Over Baltic Sea
Poland intercepted and deterred a Russian bomber aircraft over the Baltic Sea late on Thursday, according to Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The Joint Operational Command for NATO forces in Europe issued an order for the Polish air forces stationed in Lithuania to intercept Russia's Su-24 aircraft as it was performing 'dangerous maneuvers,' the minister said on Friday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NATO secretary general invites Zelenskyy to NATO summit in The Hague, ANP says
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is said to have officially invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the NATO Summit in The Hague, scheduled for 24-26 June 2025, resolving earlier uncertainty over Ukraine's participation. Source: Dutch news agency ANP, citing NATO sources, as reported by European Pravda Details: Rutte reportedly extended the invitation during a meeting with Zelenskyy on 2 June, after which Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine's representation at the summit. The specific events Zelenskyy will attend remain unclear, ANP sources noted. Discussions have included the possibility of his participation in NATO defence or foreign ministers' meetings, side events outside the official programme, or a dinner for the leaders of NATO member states hosted by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who has recently resigned following a coalition collapse, has supported the idea of inviting Zelenskyy. Background: There have also been reports that the US is opposed to Zelenskyy being invited to the NATO summit. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied these claims. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Healey says UK ‘already makes huge contribution' to Nato
John Healey has said the UK already 'makes a huge contribution to Nato', amid speculation that the alliance will push for allies to commit to increase defence spending. The Defence Secretary pointed to the UK's nuclear deterrent, and plans to make a 'bigger contribution' to Nato, as he sidestepped questions about suggestions that the alliance will set a 3.5% of gross domestic product military spending target. The Prime Minister has committed to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence from April 2027, with a goal of increasing that to 3% over the next parliament, a timetable which could stretch to 2034. But Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte is thought to be pushing for allies to commit to spending 3.5% on the military, with a further 1.5% on defence-related measures, as the alliance responds to Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine. Leaders from the alliance will meet in The Hague later this month, with the total 5% spending target by 2035 on the table. Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Healey said: 'As the Prime Minister has said, Britain already makes a huge contribution to Nato. 'We've published a defence review that has Nato at its heart and I'm announcing today the new spending in this Parliament, £4 billion, doubling the amount that we'll put into drones. 'And we'll make a bigger contribution to Nato through that, and £1 billion over this Parliament to develop laser weapons, the first European nation in Nato to have laser weapons on our destroyers and then with our land forces. 'This is Britain leading in Nato, contributing more to Nato, just as we do, for instance, with our nuclear deterrent, the only country with a nuclear deterrent that commits it in full to other Nato nations.' The Prime Minister and Mr Healey have already come under pressure to spell out how the existing 3% goal could be met. Asked if he would be prepared to raise taxes to safeguard the nation's defence, Mr Healey said: 'We will deliver the spending commitments that we've made. I've got no doubt we can do that in the next parliament. 'We're already raising defence spending by £5 billion this year and now it will go up to 2.5% of GDP in just two years' time. 'Britain's never spent that level for 15 years. 'This is a biggest increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War. The important thing is how we spend it.' We're investing nearly £1 billion into directed energy weapons and more than £4 billion in autonomous systems as part of our major £5 billion investment in UK defence innovation. We're boosting frontline capabilities while creating hundreds of skilled jobs across the country. — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 3, 2025 Downing Street refused to be drawn on the possibility of an increased spending demand, as the Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters: 'The UK is already the third-highest spender in Nato in cash terms, behind the United States and Germany. 'We are one of 22 allies of the 32 in Nato that already exceed the 2% of GDP Nato target.' The Strategic Defence Review published earlier this week recommended a greater focus on new technology, including drones and artificial intelligence. The Ministry of Defence announced a £5 billion investment in the 'kit of the future', after the publication of the review on Monday. The funding includes £4 billion for drones and autonomous systems, and an extra £1 billion for lasers to protect British ships and soldiers. In addition to investment in drones and AI, the Government has announced an additional £1 billion for the development of 'directed energy weapons' (DEWs) during the current Parliament. This includes the DragonFire laser scheduled to be fitted to the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers from 2027, with a similar system provided for the Army by the end of the decade. DragonFire and other DEWs are intended to provide a lower-cost form of air defence against targets including drones, costing just £10 per shot compared with the thousands of pounds it costs to fire existing weapons.
Fast Company
36 minutes ago
- Fast Company
What's happening in the Netherlands? Dutch government collapses after far-right party leaves ruling coalition over immigration
Immigration, which has dominated the headlines since in the United States since President Donald Trump kicked off his second term this January, is also making headlines in Europe. On Tuesday in the Netherlands, Prime Minister Dick Schoof stepped down after the leader of the country's far-right party, Geert Wilders, withdrew his party from the ruling coalition over disputes about asylum and immigration, effectively causing the Dutch government's collapse and triggering new snap elections, according to the Guardian. The government collapse comes a few weeks before a major NATO summit in The Hague, and marks the unraveling of a multi-party coalition made up of: Wilders' anti-Islam Freedom party (PVV), the Farmer-Citizens Movement (BBB), the centrist New Social Contract (NSC), and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). 'We had agreed that the Netherlands would become the strictest (on immigration) in Europe, but we're trailing somewhere near the bottom,' Wilders said, according to Reuters. 'I intend to become the next prime minister. I am going to make the PVV bigger than ever.' In 2023, Wilders' PVV actually won by a landslide in the general election, but the four major parties that created the coalition picked Dick Schoof as prime minister, leading longtime Prime Minister Mark Rutte, of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, to step down from the post. At that time, the disputes were over immigration, just as they are today. Last Monday, Wilders' PVV announced a 10-point plan to reduce immigration that would effectively slash migration, temporarily halt asylum seekers who were granted refugee status from reuniting with families, and place soldiers at borders to turn away asylum-seekers. At issue are Syrians who are in the Netherlands as a result of the violence in their home country. The question many political analysts are now asking: Is this another example that Europe is shifting toward the right, as seen by Poland's recent election? On Sunday, voters elected conservative nationalist Karol Nawrocki as that country grapples with the E.U.'s second-highest fiscal deficit, and weighs Ukraine's future as a NATO member state.
