Contents tagged with NATO

  • General Pavel: NATO will respond to future Russian aggression in Ukraine

    The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Petr Pavel, has said that if Russia takes any aggressive action against NATO members in the East, the Alliance will have to respond. Pavel was referencing Russia’s actions against Crimea and Ukraine.

    On the 24th of May, Pavel told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the increase of the Alliance’s military forces on its eastern flank is in direct response to Russia’s military actions towards Georgia, Ukraine and Syria.

    General Pavel, who …

  • Portuguese spy arrested for passing NATO secrets to Russia

    In Rome, state security officials arrested a Portuguese citizen who provided Russian intelligence officials with secret documents from NATO. A Russian citizen was also arrested, as reported by Expresso on May 23rd.

    The arrested person was a Portuguese citizen, Frederico Carvalhão, who is a member of Portugal’s SIS intelligence service. He was accused of selling sensitive information relating to NATO and the European Union.

    It was mentioned that Carvalhão had been leaving Portugal in order to …

  • The Kremlin: NATO is a tool for confrontation

    Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated that NATO is a tool created for confrontation. RIA Novosti quotes Peskov as saying “NATO is a product of confrontational times. It is a tool created for confrontation.”

    “What valuable contribution to ensuring pan-European stability and security can be made by a tool created exclusively for confrontation? This issue is controversial,” Peskov believes. “As before, we note with greatest regret the expansion of NATO’s …

  • NATO jets were scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft 9 times in a week

    Last week, aircraft from the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic States were scrambled to identify and escort Russian military aircraft nine times. Estonian daily newspaper Postimees referred to the Estonian Ministry of Defense as their source. On the 16th of May, Russian IL-20s  and AN-26s flew in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea towards the Kaliningrad region.

    On the 17th of May, fighter jets were scrambled to identify and escort more IL-20’s and two Su-27 fighters. The IL-2 …

  • Large-scale NATO exercises to be held in the Baltics

    The Baltic countries will host the large-scale NATO exercise Saber Strike 2016 in June, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported. 10,000 soldiers from 13 member states and partner countries will participate in the exercise.

    “The exercises are aimed at improving interaction between member countries in the conduct of a wide range of military operations,” the Estonian Ministry of Defense stated, as cited by Postimees.

    As stated on the US Army-Europe’s website, “Saber Strike 16 features allied and partner- …

  • NATO Secretary General: Crucial decisions will be made at the Summit in Warsaw

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that “crucial decisions” will be made at the NATO Summit in Warsaw which is scheduled to take place on the 8 - 9 July, Polish Radio reports.

    According to him, the key positions on how to adapt to a new security situation given Russia’s recent actions will be identified at the summit.

    In particular, he noted the need to strengthen the presence of NATO in the eastern part of Europe to “give a clear message that an attack against one country will be …

  • US Deputy Secretary of Defense: Russia is on a path towards confrontation

    The United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, Robert Work, stated that Russia’s actions in Europe contribute to a changing international strategic landscape and represent a serious cause for concern. Europe and more generally NATO face different challenges in from all sides, Work noted. Russia is increasingly antagonistic and is gaining strength from the east, west and north, while terrorism and armed extremism are challenges from the south and from the inside.

    “We are at a turning point in …

  • NATO Secretary General: Fortifying the eastern flank is a response to Russia's aggressive policy

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that after fortifying the eastern flank of the alliance, potential enemies "will not even think" of attacking.

    "Fortifying the eastern flank of NATO is a response to new challenges which the Alliance is encountering at the moment, including Russia’s aggressive policy,” he said in an interview with Radio Poland.

    He emphasized that NATO’s multinational forces will cooperate with the armed forces of the country, wherever they are sent, such as  …

  • NATO can increase funding of Ukrainian Army

    A decision on increasing funding will be made at the summit in Warsaw

    The acting head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO, Yehor Bozhok, in his interview with Kyivpost stated that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) can increase the funding for reforms for the Ukrainian Army if Ukraine is able to clearly identify its needs. The decision on the increase in funding can be made at the summit in Warsaw.

    Bozhok recalled that four trust funds were created by NATO last year and all 28 NATO …

  • The United States plans to deploy special forces to Bulgaria

    The U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Bulgaria, Eric Rubin, stated that the United States plans to increase its military personnel in Bulgaria beginning 2017.

    “We expect the significant increase not only in the number of joint military exercises and training with Bulgaria but also in the number of military units deployed in Bulgaria, including Navy Seals in the Black Sea region,” Rubin said.

    The Ambassador emphasized the successful conduct of the number of joint military …