Latest news with #NATO'S
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Icy ground
It is fitting that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump should meet today in Alaska. The largest US state, Alaska was purchased in 1867 from Russia for $7.2 million. Known as 'Seward's Icebox' and 'Seward's Folly,' after US Secretary of State William Seward, Alaska countered critics by repaying the US in the 1890-1910 gold rush and subsequent mineral production. The aim of the summit is a ceasefire in the Russian-Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has complained that he has not been invited to the two-man summit and insisted that Kyiv rejects any loss of territory and must approve any deal. The Putin-Trump meeting follows three hours of discussions between the Russian leader and US envoy Steve Witkoff which Trump said was 'highly successful' and progress had been made. During his campaign for a second presidential term, Trump vowed to end this war 'on Day One.' When he failed, he said he was joking' and called this 'an exaggeration.' Trump has given Putin until today to end the war or face 'very serious tariffs and Sanctions' which would cripple Russia's oil exports and cut financial connections. Ukraine and its European allies oppose ceding territory occupied by Russia since 2014, including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia. Putin argues Ukraine must relinquish some of these regions. He has called for an end to US and European aid to Ukraine and renunciation of Kyiv's bid to join NATO. Trump has said a deal would involve 'some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.' A deal is likely to require Ukraine to surrender Crimea and adjacent territory. Crimea has been a contentious issue since 1954 when the Soviet Union transferred Crimea to Ukraine which was a then Soviet state. The 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union into independent states has changed regional dynamics in favour of the Western powers and caused Putin concern. The NATO issue precipitated this unnecessary war. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev and US Secretary of State James Baker agreed that, following the reunion of NATO-member West Germany with the former Soviet East, NATO would not move 'one inch' eastwards. However, Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia joined the Western alliance between 1999 and 2020. Putin repeatedly complained that NATO'S military presence was being built up in countries neighbouring and within Ukraine. From 2008, Putin repeatedly warned that Ukraine's membership in NATO was a Russian 'red line.' Nevertheless, in 2021, US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Ukraine to join NATO in defiance of Russia which responded by deploying forces on the Ukrainian border and invaded in 2022. It is in the interest of both Russia and Ukraine to reach a ceasefire. According to the British Defence Ministry a million Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the war began. Ukraine has suffered 400,000 casualties, with 60,000-100,000 military deaths. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 46,085 civilian casualties in Ukraine as of May 31, 2025. Of them, 13,341 have been killed and 32,744 people were reported to have been injured. Casualties are expected to be higher. While Trump promotes an end to the Ukraine war as it is taking place in Europe, he has given Israel a greenlight to occupy all the Palestinian territory of Gaza in West Asia. Despite warnings from Britain, France, and other European countries and from Israeli opponents to the Gaza war, Trump has said, 'That's going to be pretty much up to Israel.' United Nations official Miroslav Jenca told the Security Council last week that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's plan would 'risk catastrophic consequences.' Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians have suffered Israeli blockade since March 2nd, denying them water, food, medicine and fuel. The death toll from starvation since the war began has risen to 217, including 100 children, and thousands more are suffering severe to acute malnutrition which could cripple many for life. The UK-based charity Save the Children condemned Israel's blockade as 'a devastating milestone that shames the world' and argued that the Israel is using starvation as a 'weapons of war – a war crime under international law.' Trump is the only world leader who can put pressure on Netanyahu as the US provides Israel with funds and weapons it requires to wage wars as well as protection from international sanctions for war crimes. Although a ceasefire would lead to the release of 50 Israeli captives of Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners of Israel and to an end to the war, Netanyahu has, instead, won cabinet approval for the occupation of Gaza City and enclaves in the south which amount to about 14 per cent of Gaza's territory. If he goes ahead at least of a million Palestinian civilians would be driven from these areas and faced with a dilemma over where to go as there is no safe place of refuge in Gaza. More than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed and 152,350 wounded since Israel launched its 22-month war on the strip following an attack by Hamas which killed 1,230 and abducted 250. Photo: TNS
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Business Standard
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Zelenskyy warns NATO allies before Hague summit of Russia threat
President Volodymyr zelenskyy warned European NATO members on Tuesday that they risked being attacked by Russia if it was not defeated in Ukraine, urging them to heed calls to sign off a big new spending goal for the alliance at a summit. The two-day gathering is intended to signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO is united, despite President Donald Trump's past criticism, and determined to expand and upgrade its defences to deter any attack from Moscow. "Russia is even planning new military operations on NATO territory meaning your countries," zelenskyy told a defence industry event on the sidelines of the summit, hours after Russian missiles killed at least 11 people in southeast Ukraine. "No doubt we must stop Putin now, and in Ukraine, but we have to understand that his objectives reach beyond Ukraine. European countries need to increase defence spending." NATO'S RUTTE HAILS TRUMP'S 'DECISIVE ACTION IN IRAN' Trump, en route to the summit in the Netherlands, posted a screenshot of a message from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte congratulating him on his "decisive action in Iran" and getting all NATO allies to agree to spend at least 5% of their GDP on defence. "Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win," the message read. Trump was pressed by travelling reporters to say whether he remained committed to mutual defence among allies as set out by NATO's Article 5, and responded: "I'm committed to saving lives. I'm committed to life and safety. And I'm going to give you an exact definition when I get there." Trump is expected to meet zelenskyy for talks during the summit. zelenskyy has said he wants to discuss substantial purchases of weaponry including Patriot missile defence systems as well as sanctions and other ways to put pressure on Putin. In The Hague, zelenskyy said it was essential that Ukraine lead in drone technology, which has shaped the battlefield and developed at breathtaking pace in the 40 months the war has lasted so far. Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, underlined the need for transatlantic cooperation in the defence industry. "Today, NATO's military edge is being aggressively challenged by a rapidly rearming Russia, backed by Chinese technology and armed with Iranian and North Korean weapons," he said. "Only Europe and North America together can rise up to meet the challenge of rearmament." RUSSIA CRITICISES NATO'S SPENDING BOOST The Kremlin accused NATO of being on a path of rampant militarisation and portraying Russia as a "fiend of hell" in order to justify its big increase in defence spending. The summit and its final statement will be focused on heeding Trump's call to spend 5% of GDP on defence - a significant jump from the current 2% goal. It is to be achieved both by spending more on military items and by including broader security-related spending in the new target. Russia has cited its neighbour's desire to join the -led transatlantic defence pact as one of the reasons why it invaded Ukraine in 2022. NATO was founded by 12 Western countries in 1949 to resist the threat from the communist Soviet Union. Russia denies any plan to attack the alliance, which now boasts 32 members, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "largely a wasted effort" to assure the grouping of this because it was determined to demonise Russia. "It is an alliance created for confrontation ... It is not an instrument of peace and stability," he said.
The Star
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Zelenskiy warns NATO allies before Hague summit of Russia threat
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks to the press with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured), on the sidelines of a NATO summit, in The Hague, Netherlands June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Greco/Pool REFILE - CORRECTING EVENT FROM "A BILATERAL MEETING" TO "SPEAK TO THE PRESS". THE HAGUE (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned European NATO members on Tuesday that they risked being attacked by Russia if it was not defeated in Ukraine, urging them to heed U.S. calls to sign off a big new spending goal for the alliance at a summit. The two-day gathering is intended to signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO is united, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's past criticism, and determined to expand and upgrade its defences to deter any attack from Moscow. "Russia is even planning new military operations on NATO territory – meaning your countries," Zelenskiy told a defence industry event on the sidelines of the summit, hours after Russian missiles killed at least 11 people in southeast Ukraine. "No doubt we must stop Putin now, and in Ukraine, but we have to understand that his objectives reach beyond Ukraine. European countries need to increase defence spending." NATO'S RUTTE HAILS TRUMP'S 'DECISIVE ACTION IN IRAN' Trump, en route to the summit in the Netherlands, posted a screenshot of a message from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte congratulating him on his "decisive action in Iran" and getting all NATO allies to agree to spend at least 5% of their GDP on defence. "Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win," the message read. Trump was pressed by travelling reporters to say whether he remained committed to mutual defence among allies as set out by NATO's Article 5, and responded: "I'm committed to saving lives. I'm committed to life and safety. And I'm going to give you an exact definition when I get there." Trump is expected to meet Zelenskiy for talks during the summit. Zelenskiy has said he wants to discuss substantial purchases of weaponry including Patriot missile defence systems as well as sanctions and other ways to put pressure on Putin. In The Hague, Zelenskiy said it was essential that Ukraine lead in drone technology, which has shaped the battlefield and developed at breathtaking pace in the 40 months the war has lasted so far. Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, underlined the need for transatlantic cooperation in the defence industry. "Today, NATO's military edge is being aggressively challenged by a rapidly rearming Russia, backed by Chinese technology and armed with Iranian and North Korean weapons," he said. "Only Europe and North America together can rise up to meet the challenge of rearmament." RUSSIA CRITICISES NATO'S SPENDING BOOST The Kremlin accused NATO of being on a path of rampant militarisation and portraying Russia as a "fiend of hell" in order to justify its big increase in defence spending. The summit and its final statement will be focused on heeding Trump's call to spend 5% of GDP on defence - a significant jump from the current 2% goal. It is to be achieved both by spending more on military items and by including broader security-related spending in the new target. Russia has cited its neighbour's desire to join the U.S.-led transatlantic defence pact as one of the reasons why it invaded Ukraine in 2022. NATO was founded by 12 Western countries in 1949 to resist the threat from the communist Soviet Union. Russia denies any plan to attack the alliance, which now boasts 32 members, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "largely a wasted effort" to assure the grouping of this because it was determined to demonise Russia. "It is an alliance created for confrontation ... It is not an instrument of peace and stability," he said. (Additional reporting by Lili Bayer and , Bart Meijer in The Hague; Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Dominique Vidalon and Kevin Liffey)
Sky News AU
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Grandmaster in chess': Donald Trump ‘wins' in meeting with Canadian PM
White House Deputy Chief of Staff has praised United States President Donald Trump for his meeting with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The comments came during a Fox News interview where Miller labelled Trump a 'grand master in chess'. 'I had the pleasure of getting to be at the meeting today … what I witnessed was like watching a grandmaster in chess perform,' Miller said. 'President Trump has opened up a completely new relationship with Canada because of his strength and because of his diplomacy.' Miller praised how well Trump's meeting went with the Canadian Prime Minister, saying it was 'concrete win' for the United States after 'concrete win'. 'The Prime Minister of Canada talked about finally contributing their fair share to … NATO'S defence,' Miller said. 'Finally contributing and meeting that minimum 2 per cent benchmark and climbing up from there, still not a free ride with the United States anymore. 'He talked about achieving fair trade with the United States and acknowledged … the need to strike a fair-trade deal with the United States as President Trump has long asked for. 'He emphasised… his deployment of troops and guards to the Canadian border at President Trump's request to keep fentanyl out of the United States of America.'
