Latest news with #SecGenNATO
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Trump says he will likely meet Zelenskiy at NATO summit
US President Donald Trump says he will probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a NATO summit this week, opening a door for Ukraine to press its case for buying US Patriot missile systems and tougher sanctions to fight Russia. Trump made the comments to reporters on board Air Force One on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, a White House official said Trump was scheduled to meet Zelenskiy at some point during the summit of the NATO military alliance, taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday in The Hague. Trump pulled out from a hoped-for meeting with Zelenskiy last week, when the US president left the G7 meeting in Canada early, saying he needed to focus on the crisis in the Middle East. I thank @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte for the meeting and for the invitation to the North Atlantic Alliance Summit. This is a clear signal that Ukraine remains among the priorities on NATO's coordinated steps within the framework of the Summit and discussed our shared… Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 24, 2025 In comments released by his office on Saturday, Zelenskiy outlined his three priorities if a meeting with Trump were to take place at the NATO summit. Firstly, he said he wanted to discuss weapons, saying that during the G7 summit, his aides had given US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent a wish-list of arms including Patriot missile defence systems, which he described as worth "a very large amount". Zelenskiy said Ukraine was "ready to find the money for this whole package" rather than requesting it as military aid. Secondly, he wanted to talk about sanctions on Russia and thirdly about other diplomatic ways of applying greater pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy urged all NATO countries on Tuesday to support Ukraine's defence industry. He 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. "Please, let's make sure that our defence potential and potential of our partners work for our peace, not for Russia's madness," he said. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the US leadership was committed to the alliance. He added, however, that this came with an expectation that European countries and Canada spend more on the military. The former Dutch prime minister underlined the need for transatlantic co-operation in the defence industry to meet the challenge of rearmament. "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." 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. Russia denies any plan to attack the military alliance, which 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.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia launches deadly glide bombs and artillery strike on Ukrainian city
Russian glide bombs and artillery have struck a city in southern Ukraine, killing one person and wounding five others as Moscow's forces continue daily attacks across the country. The city of Kherson was struck with glide bombs on Wednesday morning – and when rescue teams arrived at the scene, Russian forces then launched an artillery barrage, said the region's head, Oleksandr Prokudin. He added: 'This is a deliberate tactic by Russia to hinder the rescue of the injured and harm doctors, rescuers, and police.' The attack damaged a sports facility, a supermarket, residential buildings and civilian vehicles, Mr Prokudin said. The strike on Kherson followed other deadly attacks in recent days. On Palm Sunday, two Russian ballistic missile hit the north-eastern city of Sumy near the Russian border, killing 35 people and injuring more than 100 others in the deadliest attack on Ukrainian civilians this year. The Russian military said that the strike had targeted a gathering of senior military officers. The attack on Sumy and other areas came even as Moscow and Kyiv both agreed last month to implement a 30-day halt on strikes on energy facilities. Today, @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte is in Ukraine. We discussed the security of Ukraine, our entire Europe, and the Euro-Atlantic region, as well as relations with all our partners in Europe and America. The main focus was on strengthening Ukraine's air defense. Absolutely everyone… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 15, 2025 Both parties have differed on the start time for stopping strikes and alleged daily breaches by the other side. Asked on Wednesday if Russia is going to stop abiding by the limited ceasefire after 30 days, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov demurred, saying the decision will be made later. Moscow has effectively refused to accept a comprehensive ceasefire that US President Donald Trump has sought and Ukraine has endorsed. Russia has made the accord conditional on a halt in Ukraine's mobilisation efforts and Western arms supplies – demands rejected by Ukraine. Kyiv believes Moscow's forces are gearing up for a fresh offensive. Russian forces hold the battlefield advantage in Ukraine, pressing attacks in several sectors of the 600-mile frontline, and Kyiv has warned Moscow is planning a new offensive to improve its negotiating position. The Russian military said it downed 26 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions early on Wednesday.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NATO clarifies statement on missing soldiers: ‘The search is ongoing'
NATO seemingly walked back comments from the chief that suggested four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania had died, clarifying late Wednesday that the 'search is ongoing.' 'On the 4 US soldiers missing in a military exercise in Lithuania, the search is ongoing,' NATO said in a post on social platform X. 'We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today.' Secretary General Mark Rutte signaled earlier Wednesday that the soldiers were dead. While speaking with reporters during a trip to Warsaw, Rutte said he received word that they had been killed, but it was 'still early so we do not know the details.' 'This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones,' he said at the time. A NATO spokesperson said Rutte was referring to 'emerging news reports' and not confirming the fate of the four soldiers, 'which is still unknown.' U.S. Army Europe and Africa said the missing troops were part of the Army's 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and were training close to the Lithuanian city Pabradė, less than 6 miles west of the border of Belarus. The Army said the armored vehicle carrying the four soldiers during a training exercise had been found submerged in a body of water. Recovery efforts are underway. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — all members of NATO — have poor ties with Russia, who is an ally of Belarus. Relations have worsened in the three years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. President Trump was asked Wednesday if he had been briefed about the missing U.S. citizens and he said 'no, I haven't.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four US soldiers still missing in Lithuania, NATO says
NATO on Wednesday clarified comments that its Secretary-General Mark Rutte made earlier in the day, when he suggested that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania had died. 'The search is ongoing,' NATO said in a statement posted on X. "We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.' NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said earlier on Wednesday that four US soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania had died, adding he did not yet know any details. A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the four soldiers were involved in a training accident. Rutte said during a trip to Warsaw that he had received word of the deaths of the soldiers and that his thoughts were with their families and with the United States. "This is still early news so we do not know the details. This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones," Rutte told reporters in Warsaw. A statement from US Army Europe and Africa public affairs in Wiesbaden said the soldiers were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time. Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported that the US service personnel and a vehicle were reported missing on Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town less than 10 kilometres from the border with Belarus. The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all NATO members and have often had chilly ties with Russia since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Relations soured further over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Lithuania's President Gitanas Nausėda has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Kyiv in its fight against Moscow's forces.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
4 soldiers from Fort Stewart still missing in Lithuania, despite NATO initial report
NATO has clarified a statement that Secretary-General Mark Rutte made about the four U.S soldiers from a Georgia military base who disappeared while training in Lithuania. While he was giving a lecture on Wednesday, Rutte said that he had received word that the soldiers were dead. The U.S. Army, however, said the soldiers' fate hasn't been confirmed yet. 'The search is ongoing,' NATO said in an updated statement posted on X. 'We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.' [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The U.S. Army confirmed that the soldiers, based in Fort Stewart, Georgia, were conducting an exercise at a training field near Pabradė, Lithuania, a town located about six miles from the border with Belarus. The Army said their Hercules armored vehicle had been found submerged in a body of water. Recovery efforts are ongoing. Fort Stewart has not released the soldiers' names. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. TRENDING STORIES: Former employee of raided Bartow County factory says 'conditions were terrible' Social Security Administration backtracks on some ID requirements after backlash Gwinnett Co. senior returns to school after suffering 'traumatic brain injury' during football game [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
