Latest news with #NATO-Ukraine
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU seeks alternative to NATO coordination for Ukraine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday a new joint task force with Ukraine is to be established to streamline the procurement of military supplies and consolidate support for Kiev. The move comes in response to the looming threat of a US veto blocking continued NATO military aid coordination for Ukraine. Currently, the Germany-based NATO-Ukraine command, or NSATU (NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine), is responsible for these tasks. Created at the NATO summit in Washington in July, NSATU coordinates arms deliveries and the training of Ukrainian forces. The European Commission stated that the new task force will complement NATO's efforts, with both organizations coordinating their activities. Speculation has recently emerged that the US might push for a halt to NSATU as part of negotiations for Russian concessions, particularly following the recent disruption of US military aid to Ukraine. The Trump administration seeks a swift end to Russia's war against Ukraine, but Moscow reportedly demands an end to NATO's commitment to Ukraine, among other conditions. Von derLeyen foresees a new world order In a speech in Copenhagen, von der Leyen did not provide specific details on the task force but emphasized the growing need for Europe to become more independent of the United States and bolster its own domestic defence capabilities. "The security architecture that we relied on can no longer be taken for granted," she said. The former German defence minister warned that "the age of spheres of influence and power competition is well and truly back," signalling a shift in global geopolitics. She predicted that a new world order will emerge in the second half of this decade and beyond.
Euronews
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Three years of war in Ukraine: Here's what the French army has learned
Three years of conflict and hundreds of thousands of dead on both the Ukrainian and Russian sides have pushed the French Army to rethink its military strategy. The high-intensity conflict which began after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, foreshadows the war of tomorrow due to the many technological and tactical innovations. It has even pushed the French army to go as far as to create its special defence innovation unit in 2023 known as the Future Combat Command (CCF). "In the end, it's the innovation and adaptability that we've seen throughout this conflict, that mobilises our energy in terms of our own preparation," said General Rodolphe Hardy, second-in-command of the French Army's future combat unit, during a press conference held in Paris on Thursday. The rise of electronic warfare One key takeaway this year: the hidden electronic warfare battle that's reshaping the Ukraine war. Electronic warfare is a technology that interferes with radio communications that can interfere with GPS and drones. "If you can't use your cell phone because it can't connect to a network terminal, it's a bit complicated. So in the military field, whether it's for communications, or GPS-based guidance systems, or for aircraft exchange systems or even the guidance of a drone without a pilot, all of this exploits the electromagnetic field," explained Vice-Admiral Emmanuel Slaars, Deputy Head of Operations to the Chief of Staff of the French Navy to a group of reporters. This has forced French military leaders to reconsider and adapt to the gaps in their capabilities. "We need to be able to influence it, in other words, to disable its use. And this is a domain that's moving very, very fast. We need to be very active in this area because it's a key element," he said during the press conference. The second front on the Black Sea Although the majority of the fighting is on land, there is a second crucial front on the water. The French Armed Forces have also learned how Ukraine has defended parts of the Black Sea using drones. "We saw Ukrainian drones which were very basic at the beginning and which have now become high-tech, even capable of countering helicopters," said Vice-Admiral Slaars. The crucial lessons learned throughout this conflict even inspired the creation of a new NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre in Poland, inaugurated this week. The goal is to adapt to the new realities on the battlefield.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Defence Minister meets new Pentagon chief in Brussels
Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umierov met with his American counterpart, Pete Hegseth, on Wednesday, 12 February. Source: Umierov on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda Quote: "The first meeting with the new US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth." As reported, a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in the Ramstein format is taking place in Brussels on this day, with the United Kingdom chairing for the first time. In addition to the Ramstein meeting, this week will also feature the NATO-Ukraine Defence Ministerial Council and the Munich Security Conference. Background: Media reports suggest that the US Defense Secretary will not announce new arms shipments for Ukrainian forces. However, it is expected that he will reaffirm President Trump's commitment to swiftly pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron!
