Latest news with #Spruds
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Turkey, Belgium to join drone coalition for Ukraine
Turkey and Belgium are set to join the international Drone Coalition supporting Ukraine, Latvia's Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced on May 28 during the Drone Summit in Riga. The coalition, co-led by Latvia and the United Kingdom, is expected to allocate 2.75 billion euros ($3.1 billion) in 2025 to support Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression. "The international Drone Coalition is becoming increasingly stronger — we will be able to deliver more drones to Ukraine while simultaneously strengthening the defense industries of Latvia, the EU, and NATO countries," Spruds said. "Our strength lies in unity." With the addition of Belgium and Turkey, the Drone Coalition will grow to 20 member states. The coalition, officially launched in February 2024, includes countries such as the U.K., Germany, Canada, France, Poland, Sweden, and Ukraine, among others. Each new member must be approved by existing coalition states, according to the memorandum of understanding. Since its inception, the coalition has committed a total of 4.5 billion euros ($5 billion) in aid to Ukraine over two years, including 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) in 2024 and the planned 2.75 billion euros ($3.1 billion) for 2025. The Drone Coalition plays crucial role in supporting Ukraine's use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have become key in targeting Russian military infrastructure, including airfields, oil depots, and logistics hubs deep inside Russian territory. In March, the coalition allocated 20 million euros ($22.5 million) from a joint fund to procure tactical reconnaissance drones for Ukraine, following an urgent request from Kyiv. The coalition complements Ukraine's domestic initiatives such as the "Drone Line," launched in February, which aims to accelerate battlefield drone deployment. Read also: Ukrainian drones hit Russian cruise missile factory, SBU source says, in one of largest reported strikes of full-scale war We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Euronews
15-02-2025
- Business
- Euronews
‘No space and place for complacency' over European defence, Latvian defence minister tells Euronews
Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds told Euronews he is confident that the EU can deter Russia today and in the years to come, but warned that the necessary investments must be made 'right now'. 'Russia is an aggressive country, this is an existential threat to all of us, and investments of course, must be made right now,' he told Euronews on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Asked if Europe could successfully ramp up its defence before the end of the decade, when intelligence services have warned Russia could have the means to attack a European NATO ally, he said: 'Yes, I believe so.' 'I think the important part is to be ready in that any aggressiveness from Russia can just come now and we have to be resilient and we have to build. Of course, it's an ongoing process.' 'And let's not underestimate who we are, let's not underestimate what we have done. But also, of course, there is no space and place for complacency,' he said. He said the EU must expand its defence industry base and build up its capabilities. EU nations don't yet agree on financing options EU leaders are expected to approve measures to boost joint defence spending at a summit in late June, following the release on 19 March by the Commission of a White Paper on Defence in which the EU's executive should outline the options it sees as most viable to boost financing and the capabilities the bloc needs more urgently. 'We have to understand that the investment in the military is absolutely crucial for all of us. And here, unfortunately, I see sometimes diversity among European nations,' Spruds said. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday in Munich that she will propose to activate the escape clause in the bloc's fiscal rules to allow member states to 'substantially' increase their defence expenditures. But the measure requires unanimity from member states to be approved. Other options that the EU is looking into include an expansion of the European Investment Bank's mandate to allow more investments in defence and for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rules to be loosened so that private banks can also pour more money into the sector. More controversially, some member states have also called for the issuing of co-called Eurobonds - an instrument inaugurated during the pandemic to raise money to support COVID-stricken economies - to fund joint defence projects, and for EU funds to be primarily used to buy from and therefore support European manufacturers. Baltic countries are generally positive towards the former but reticent on the latter proposal. Air defence, ammunition, drones For Spruds, joint EU funding should be used to boost air defence - for which systems can have billion euro price tags - as well as more 'practical things like ammunition'. The EU infamously failed to fulfill its pledge to deliver one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine in the year ending in March 2024. Ammunition production initiatives since then are going in the right direction, Spruds told Euronews, and Latvia 'expect(s) it to take place on a much wider scale also in the future'. But EU funds should also fund innovation in defence, and close the funding gap with the US, including the development of new drone capabilities, where the bloc can get an edge thanks to the experiences and know-how gathered by Ukrainians on the battlefield, Spruds said. Latvia and the UK are co-leading a drone coalition that gathers 17 countries and donations of around €2 billion and which provides aerial unmanned devices to Ukraine, with the Baltic country also providing testing grounds. 'Last year we made big steps, considerable steps in building up our drone army,' Spruds told Euronews. 'But we have to make the next steps, which include land drones, and also drones in the sea.' 'What we have experienced in recent months, in recent years, once more underlines that the technologies can be very helpful, very valuable and very efficient also in helping protect critical infrastructure objects in places where it's sometimes difficult to arrive quickly,' he said.
Voice of America
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
NATO, EU on high alert as undersea cable attacks escalate in Baltic
As authorities investigate the fourth Baltic Sea cable-cutting incident in recent months, European leaders have expressed concern about the frequency of attacks involving civilian vessels and critical civilian infrastructure. The Vezhen, a Bulgarian-owned vessel, was detained this week in the Baltic Sea, suspected of dragging its anchor across the seafloor, severing a data cable between Sweden and Latvia. Aleksander Kalchev, the CEO of the company that owns the Vezhen, denied that the damage was intentional. Nevertheless, Swedish security services have boarded the vessel for further investigation. Latvian Minister of Defense Andris Spruds, in a written response to VOA on Wednesday, confirmed that Latvia is working closely with Sweden and NATO to address the incident. "Latvia's Naval Forces' diving team has conducted an inspection at the damage site and collected evidence in cooperation with Swedish Coast Guard vessels," Spruds told VOA. He emphasized that Latvia would deploy new technologies and continue working closely with NATO allies to enhance the protection of critical sea infrastructure. "These sabotage actions will not be tolerated, and we will continue to enforce bold actions within the rule of law," Spruds said. Growing pattern of attacks Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, whose country launched a sabotage investigation into damage to the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia on Dec. 25, has emphasized the urgency of the situation. "This cannot continue," he told Finnish Lannen Media this week. He called for stronger coordination within the European Union to prevent further attacks. "We must be on a common front in sanctions against Russia. That applies to every EU country," he told a Finnish journalist. The government in Poland, another Baltic Sea country with more than 1,000 kilometers of coastline, has called for enhanced security measures. In an interview with VOA, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said recent attacks on undersea cables — such as those between Latvia and Sweden, as well as Estonia and Finland — align with broader patterns of sabotage seen in the region. While investigations are ongoing, Poland views these incidents as deliberate actions, he said. "Even if there is no direct evidence today, sabotage and provocations are part of Russia's standard arsenal. ... We are at a point where we have to assume that this is a conscious, deliberate action," he told VOA on Tuesday. Polish officials also emphasize the need for more coordinated maritime security measures. "We want such policing missions to start taking place in the Baltic Sea. There is a lot of traffic when it comes to ships and vessels … and security is an absolutely fundamental issue here," he told VOA. Given its strategic importance and the increasing presence of Russian naval activity, he said, NATO must prioritize the Baltic Sea as a critical security zone. "The Baltic Sea has become an arena where all tricks are allowed," Siemoniak said. Political and strategic motives While evidence is still being gathered, the geopolitical implications of these attacks are becoming clearer. Analysts believe the sabotage is not just an attempt to disrupt communication networks but also a calculated effort to test NATO's response capabilities and sow discord among member states. Lawmakers in Finland, the newest member of NATO, have voiced concerns that these incidents may be part of a broader conflict that many Western governments are hesitant to acknowledge. "If we don't know whether we're at war, it's always best to assume that we are," Jussi Halla-aho, the speaker of the Finnish Parliament, said in an interview earlier this month in the Turku daily Turun Sanomat. Countering hybrid warfare A significant challenge for NATO and its allies is how to respond effectively to these incidents. Unlike conventional military aggression, these acts of sabotage involve civilian vessels and infrastructure, making direct retaliation difficult. "If we openly accuse Russia or China of these attacks, the next logical question is: What are we going to do about it?" Matti Posio, a Finnish foreign policy expert and chief editor at Lannen Media Oy, told VOA in an interview. "The reality is that options are limited, and that's exactly what the perpetrators are counting on." With tensions rising, NATO is considering additional measures to secure the Baltic Sea, officials and observers told VOA. One option includes increasing naval patrols and surveillance of key maritime routes. However, "more drastic proposals — such as closing parts of the Gulf of Finland to Russian-linked vessels — remain politically sensitive and legally complex," Posio said. Dilemma for NATO and EU Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, who visited Latvia this week, issued a a statement with her Latvian counterpart. "We are aware that Russia is a long-term threat to world peace and international order; therefore, NATO's deterrence and defense measures must be further strengthened, while coordinating the Allied response to the intensifying threat posed by Russia," their statement said. As tensions rise, NATO has launched Baltic Sentry 2025 to enhance security and resilience. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized the need for greater coordination in protecting critical infrastructure from sabotage. EU interior ministers will meet in Warsaw on Thursday. Among other topics, they will address growing concerns over sabotage targeting critical infrastructure in Europe. The ministers are expected to discuss potential countermeasures and coordination efforts to strengthen security and deterrence against future disruptions.
