Contents tagged with NATO

  • Belarus intends to hold joint military exercises with NATO

    Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces Oleg Belokonev said in an interview with Nasha Niva newspaper that Minsk is negotiating with the North Atlantic Alliance on the format of joint military exercises.

    At the same time, Belokonev stressed that NATO "must realize that Belarus is an ally of Russia."

    "Belarus is ready for joint exercises with NATO. There are talks on possible formats. But we will agree on this if  NATO understands that Russia is our strategic ally," said …

  • Russian Defense Minister: Russia-NATO relations continue to deteriorate

    Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said during the broadcast of the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" program on Russia-1 TV channel, that cooperation between Russia and NATO has not only stopped but is deteriorating every year.

    Shoygu recalled that "about five years ago," Moscow had active cooperation with the military Alliance, and Russia had its representative in NATO. "And now it's all not only stopped but becomes worse every year," said Russian Defense Minister.

    He explained that the US is …

  • Putin announces navy upgrades in light of ‘NATO threat’

    In response to “threats from NATO”, the Russian Navy will continue to undergo modernization, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at a military meeting in Sochi, RBC reports. By the end of 2019, the navy will have acquired more than 480 new vehicles and weapons.

    “Today we must assume that NATO’s expansion, the development of its military infrastructure near Russia’s borders, is one of the potential threats to the security of our country. For this reason, we have been and will continue to pay …

  • Erdogan threatens to reject NATO plan to protect Baltic States

    A day before the NATO’s Leaders Summit in London, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Turkey will oppose NATO's plan for the defense of Baltic countries if the Alliance does not recognize  as terrorists groups that Turkey deems terrorists.

    Erdoğan said that he had a telephone conversation with Polish President Andrzej Duda, and he had arranged a meeting with him and Baltic leaders in London to discuss the issue.

    "With pleasure, we can come together and discuss these issues there …

  • Lithuanian President urges NATO to recognize Russia as a threat to world order

    During the NATO Summit in London, the Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda appealed to NATO leaders to consider Russia a threat to the existing world order.

    "It is essential to call Russia a threat. If we do not do this, we will significantly change the whole perspective of NATO's structure," said Lithuanian President.

    Nausėda stated that the Kremlin's actions are the biggest threat to international law, and "to the rules that have been established for decades."

    Commenting on a recent …

  • Turkey is ready to join NATO in war against Russia

    Despite the statements of Russian politicians about the strengthening of cooperation between Russia and Turkey in the military field, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Ankara is a loyal ally of the North Atlantic Alliance, and Turkey is ready to support any NATO's operation against Russia if necessary.

    Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu urged NATO to pay attention to the fact that in addition to deterring Russia at the Eastern borders of Europe, it is also necessary to support Turkey in these …

  • Russia intends to monitor NATO's actions in space

    During a briefing, broadcasted by Russia 24 TV channel, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Russia intends to monitor the deployment of NATO’s weapons in space.

    "We will closely monitor how the assurances of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, that NATO doesn't have intentions to place weapons in space, will be implemented," she said, commenting on the decision of the North Atlantic Alliance to recognize space as a new operational domain for NATO.

    According to …

  • Russian Kalashnikov concern to produce NATO-standardized AK-12

    The chief designer of the Kalashnikov concern, Sergey Urzhumtsev, told RIA Novosti in an interview  that the new generation of Kalashnikov assault rifle, AK-12, can get a 5, 56x45mm caliber version which is standardized by NATO.

    According to him, most of the rifles are of 5.45 and 7.62 calibers. But now Kalashnikov has an export order for the AK-12 of caliber 7.62x51mm. "Also, we plan to develop a 5.56x45mm AK-12 according to NATO standard," said Urzhumtsev.

    The Russian army adopted the AK-12 …

  • Lithuania to increase its armed forces by 25 percent

    On Wednesday, Lithuanian government approved a draft bill of the Lithuanian National Defense Ministry to increase the number of country's armed forces by 25% in the next five years, reports Lithuanian news outlet Delfi.

    According to the new structure of the armed forces of Lithuania, which should be adopted by 2024, the total number of soldiers in the Lithuanian Army should be increased from 21,290 to 26,850 people. The total number of contract military should be increased from 11,400 to 15,600 …

  • NATO mission arrives in Kyiv to assess reforms

    Another mission from NATO has arrived in Ukraine to assess the country’s progress in the national program to prepare for alliance membership, Ukraine’s Mission to NATO announced in a statement.

    According to the statement, experts from the mission will meet with representatives of nearly all the central organs of executive government which are involved in the annual national program that serves as the basis of Ukraine’s preparation for alliance membership. The mission will operate in Kyiv …