Contents tagged with NATO
-
Kremlin asks NATO not to hold military exercises during Russia’s Victory Day celebrations
Russia has asked NATO member states not to conduct military exercises during the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II in May, announced Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
"We appealed to the European countries to abandon active exercises during this period," Grushko said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
According to Grushko, the coronavirus pandemic changed the situation with the exercises, "turning it all in another plane." He noted that the role of all instruments of …
-
Russia: NATO thinks twice before sending ships to Crimean shores
The main obstacle for NATO ships approaching Russia's maritime borders near Crimea are the coastal electronic warfare (EW) systems deployed in the peninsular, reports RIA Novosti, citing a source in the security forces of the region.
According to the source, NATO ships are trying to infiltrate digital and communication networks during their reconnaissance operations. However, Russian EW systems knock down the navigation systems of NATO ships and make the reconnaissance equipment unfunctional. …
-
Erdogan asks NATO for help in Syria
Speaking at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he had requested additional assistance from the alliance in connection with the current situation in Syria's Idlib. According to him, the situation in Syria threatens all European countries.
“No country in Europe has the right to look indifferently at the humanitarian drama in Syria. We expect NATO to show solidarity and additional assistance,” Erdogan said, adding that Turkey is …
-
Kremlin accuses NATO of creating a ‘striking fist’ near Russia's borders
NATO is creating a "striking fist" near Russia's borders, strengthening its military presence in Eastern Europe in close proximity to Russia, said Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.
Zakharova’s statement was made in response to the reports about NATO's plans to hold Defender Europe-2020 military exercises in April and May. The exercises will be held by the United States but will involve other NATO members. …
-
NATO Secretary General: New Russian missiles ‘can reach European cities' and are ‘easy to hide’
In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the North Atlantic Alliance sees a threat in Russia's latest weapons.
"New Russian missiles are very dangerous," Stoltenberg said. He said they are "mobile, easy to hide" and can "reach European cities" within a very short time after their launch.
The Secretary General is sure that these characteristics not only reduce the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, but also increases the risk of possible …
-
Ukraine expecting NATO status upgrade in October
Ukraine is expecting its status with NATO to be upgraded to that of a partner with enhanced opportunities in October this year, said Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk, as cited by UNIAN.
According to Zahorodniuk, the alliance is “absolutely satisfied” with the reforms that have been carried out in Ukraine, and if the country maintains this rate of positive changes, it can expect an upgrade in October.
Zahorodniuk said that it was at the Munich Security Conference, which was held …
-
NATO urges Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine
NATO has expressed its concern regarding the escalation in the Donbas and urged Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, the Ukrainian Mission to NATO wrote on Facebook.
“We are concerned by the escalation of violence by the Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine this morning. This undermines the Minsk agreements and the efforts towards a peaceful conflict resolution,” said NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu.
NATO also affirmed its full support of the territorial integrity and …
-
Kremlin names three conditions for improving relations with Europe
Russia is “carefully analyzing” French President Emmanuel Macron’s offer to improve dialog with Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, as cited by RBC news agency. The deputy minister remarked that Russia “is appraising the situation on the basis of reality”, and understands that, in order to bring about systemic changes to the status quo, Europe needs to take concrete steps towards cooperation.
According to Grushko, …
-
Kyiv urges NATO to consider Ukraine’s request to join Enhanced Opportunity Program
Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk is convinced that Ukraine meets the criteria for joining NATO’s Enhanced Opportunities Partnership program, and has urged NATO to consider and endorse this decision.
“Our NATO partners know that joining the Enhanced Opportunity Partnership Program is an absolute priority for Ukraine. Ukraine has made significant progress implementing alliance standards and already meets the military criteria for joining the program. We are ready, and there is now a …
-
Russia promises to respond to NATO’s largest military drills in Europe
Russia will respond to NATO’s Defender 2020 exercise in Europe, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as cited by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
According to him, the alliance’s European exercises are “greatly concerning” to Smolenskaya Square in Moscow, and Russia cannot ignore them.
“In the context of NATO’s cooperation with the EU in the military sphere, they invented the term ‘Military Schengen’, which envisages the upgrading of all transport arteries up to NATO’s eastern border in such a way …