Contents tagged with NATO
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Lithuania reinstates general military conscription
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė has signed the law on the introduction of universal military service in the country on an ongoing basis.
According to the Lithuanian news portal Delfi, the law, previously approved by the Council of State Defense, provides for the transition of the Lithuanian army from fully professional to a mixed-type system. At the moment, more than ten thousand people are serving in the Armed Forces of Lithuania.
Previously, the introduction of universal …
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US Army in Europe Commander: NATO will be unable to defend Baltics if Russia attacks
The Commander of the United States Army Europe, Lieutenant General Frederick Benjamin Hodges, believes that NATO will not be able to protect the Baltic States if Russia attacks them.
“Russia could invade the Baltic States faster than we could come there to defend them," the Lieutenant General said in an interview with the German weekly Die Zeit, published on June 22.
Hodges said that he agrees with the estimate of military analysts that the Russian troops could capture the capital cities of …
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US General: Russia can deploy its troops much faster than NATO
In an interview with the BBC, General Ben Hodges, the commander of U.S. land forces in Europe claimed that NATO has to simplify the mechanism of relocating the military units between the countries, to be able to respond quickly to potential threats from the Russian Federation.
"Twenty thousand armed people may appear on the borders of NATO, or at the borders of Georgia, or Ukraine. This is a serious concern. The Russians have what we call freedom of movement on the interior lines. They can …
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Lithuania to buy Javelin anti-tank missiles from the US
The Ministry of Defense of Lithuania announced that the Lithuanian army will acquire Javelin portable anti-tank missiles and supporting equipments from US. The deal is worth 8 million dollars and is based on a previously signed agreement with the two countries
“The acquisition of Javelin portable anti-tank missiles will be made to further strengthen the capabilities of the Lithuanian army,” a press release stated.
The Lithuanian Ministry of defense further elaborated that the purchase will be …
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Putin: Russia must strengthen its defenses in response to 'NATO aggression'
Speaking in front of the State Duma, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia must increase its combat readiness in response to “the aggressive actions of NATO along the Russian borders”, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported.
Putin criticized the West for its unwillingness to build a “modern, non-aligned system of collective security” with Russia.
"Russia is open to discussing this important issue and has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to engage in dialogue, but, as happened on the …
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US Assistant Secretary of State: Our patience with Russia is not endless
Russia has violated an important agreement with the United States, signed back in the years of the Cold War. That is why Washington, in addition to diplomatic measures, reserves the right to respond with military action as well, said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Frank A. Rose.
At the same time, he said that NATO's anti-missile defense system designed to combat threats emanating from beyond the Euro-Atlantic space cannot threaten Russian ballistic missile capacity.
"I …
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NATO sees TANAP and TAP pipelines as particularly important for Europe
The head of the Energy Security Section in NATO's Emerging Security Challenges Division, Michael Rühle, believes that the projects of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) for the delivery of Azerbaijani gas to European countries are particularly important for Europe's energy security. According to him, the issue of implementing the projects will be discussed at the Warsaw NATO Summit July 7-8, Trend reports.
“TANAP and TAP are of particular …
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NATO Secretary General: Sanctions against Russia should remain in force
The EU should maintain the sanctions against Russia which were imposed as a result of the Russia’s actions in Ukraine, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
He made these comments the day after German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized NATO for holding the recent Anakonda-2016 military exercises and “antagonizing Russia”.
“In my opinion the sanctions should not be lifted while Russian does not change its attitude. I believe that the EU has a wide consensus on …
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Kremlin: Presence of rotational NATO troops near our border violates the NATO-Russia treaty
The Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Administration, Sergei Ivanov, said that the deployment of rotational NATO battalions close to Russia's borders is a violation of the agreement between NATO and the Russian Federation.
"It makes no difference whether a unit is permanent or it changes, say, every six months. For example, first there were Spaniards and then Portuguese arrived in their stead. In fact they came the day after the Spaniards left so combat readiness does not change. If …
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NATO proposes the creation of a 'military Schengen zone'
The commander of U.S. ground forces in Europe, Lt. General Ben Hodges, expressed the need for the unrestsricted movement of military units of the alliance countries.
The U.S. commander of ground forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, spoke in favor of the creation of a so-called military ‘Schengen zone’ in order to facilitate quick and unrestricted movement of NATO units. "We need a military Schengen zone so allied units can move at the pace fo the growing threats," Hodges stated during the …