Contents tagged with NATO

  • NATO jets escorted Russian aircraft three times last week

    NATO fighters, as part of the Alliance’s air patrol mission over the Baltic, intercepted Russian military aircraft on three occasions last week, according to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, Delfi reported.

    The aircraft that were intercepted included reconnaissance aircraft, Su-27 fighters, and a Tu-134 cargo plane, which were flying between Kaliningrad and the Russian mainland.

    The reconnaissance planes and Su-27 flew without providing flight plans and their transponders were turned off. …

  • NATO defense expenses will rise noticeably in 2016

    Due to the strained relations with Russia and the fight against international terrorism, the defense spending of most of the NATO member states will grow significantly in 2016. The headquarters of NATO in Brussels reported on Monday, July 4 that the general increase in military spending of all allied nations, with the exception of the US and Canada, will reach almost 3%.

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the picture of defense spending in NATO countries is mixed, as some of …

  • Stoltenberg: NATO will affirm its support for Ukraine at the summit in Warsaw

    The Alliance countries will approve a new assistance package for Ukraine and reaffirm its full support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty at the Summit in Warsaw, said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference in Brussels, on July 4th.

    According to him, on the second day of the Summit, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission with the participation of President Petro Poroshenko will take place. "I’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to meet Poroshenko. He will …

  • Unidentified drone spotted over NATO exercises in Sweden

    Unknown UAVs flew over the prohibited area of Utö (island in Sweden) where the BALTOPS NATO military exercises were being held with Sweden and Finland. The incident took place in June; however, it was kept secret, Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reports.

    Part of the exercise was held from June 10-13 on the island of Utö. There, marines from Sweden and Finland were practicing with colleagues from the U.S.A., Great Britain and Germany. Flights were prohibited during the exercises.

    "We have …

  • Lavrov says Finland should not give into temptation of joining NATO

    Moscow calls on Helsinki not to give into the temptation of joining NATO’s actions directed against Russia.

    The statement was made by the Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, in response to a question asking what countermeasures Russia would take if Finland joins NATO, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.

    “This is a pure military and technical question. It is obvious that if an organization which considers you an enemy is approaching your borders, you have …

  • Media: American Global Hawk unmanned aircraft will be deployed to Czech Republic

    American Army officials have been in the process of obtaining formal permission to use Czech airspace for the flights of Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft. This was reported by Radio Prague.

    According to Radio Prague, this information was confirmed by the Czech Ministry of Defense while the representative of the US Embassy refused to comment.

    Currently the unmanned aircraft of this type are stationed at the Sigonella naval air station in Sicily. The air station is used for the …

  • Lech Walesa urges NATO to show its strength to Russia

    The former President of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, urged the North Atlantic Alliance to show their determination and fire warning shots at Russian planes which provoke NATO warships.

    In an interview with Radio Svoboda, he commented on the incident with the simulated attack on the USS Destroyer Donald Cook. "We should remain resolute and not tolerate such behavior. Otherwise, they’ll win. If I were the commander of this ship, I would order to shoot them. Not to destroy them, but to drive them off,” …

  • Poroshenko announces coordinated effort with NATO regarding 'Normandy Fortmat'

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said further actions will be outlined using the Normandy format at the NATO summit in Warsaw next week, Radio Svoboda reported.

    According to Poroshenko, the documents detailing the cooperation between Ukraine and NATO should be properly prepared. He added that the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin, and the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, Konstantin Eliseev, had recently visited Europe to discuss the preparations of a …

  • Former Polish President: Ukraine should abandon its hopes of joining NATO and the EU

    Former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski is convinced that Ukraine should not even dream about joining the North Atlantic Alliance. This was reported by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

    “Ukraine should abandon its dream of becoming a NATO member. Also, now it's not worth talking about reaching the goal of becoming a full member of the EU,” the ex-president of Poland said.

    At the same time, Kwaśniewski himself, according to his words, “has nothing against Kiev's goals to become a full …

  • Stoltenberg: NATO's support for Ukraine will reach a 'new level'

    According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, practical and political support to Ukraine will reach a new level after the Alliance’s Summit in Warsaw on Friday and Saturday, Radio Svoboda reported.

    Stoltenberg said that a new comprehensive package will be adopted by NATO.

    "This package will include strategic advisory support. We are already providing assistance to Ukraine through trust funds, which cover areas such as command and control, logistics and cyber security. We add to this …