NATO

[phkrause]

NATO chief appeals for unity as Europe builds its armies and the US eyes security threats elsewhere  NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte appealed for unity on Wednesday as European nations scale up their armed forces and defense industries after the United States warned that Europe must take care of its own security in the future. Read more.

Why this matters: Trust between the 32 member countries is at a new low. NATO was formed 76 years ago to provide stability in Europe; a guarantee underwritten by the United States. But the Trump administration says America’s security priorities now lie in Asia and on its own borders.   Still, Rutte said he is “absolutely confident” about the U.S. commitment to NATO’s Article 5 security guarantee. He added that “nothing can replace America’s nuclear umbrella, the ultimate guarantor of our security.” Britain and France are also nuclear powers but their arsenals are tiny by comparison.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump says ‘we have to convince’ people of Greenland to become US citizens   NATO clarifies comments that four missing US soldiers had died during training in Lithuania   The European Union urges citizens to stockpile supplies to last 3 days in case of crisis

[phkrause]

NATO clarifies comments that four missing US soldiers had died during training in Lithuania

NATO on Wednesday clarified comments that Secretary-General Mark Rutte made earlier in the day, when he suggested that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania had died, even though the U.S. Army said their fate was not yet confirmed. “The search is ongoing,” NATO said in a statement posted on X. Read More.

[phkrause]

European countries vow billions in military support for Ukraine as US envoy meets Putin

BRUSSELS (AP) — European countries vowed Friday to sends billions of dollars in further funding to help Ukraine keep fighting Russia’s invasion, as a U.S. envoy pursued peace efforts in a trip to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing questions about the Kremlin’s willingness to stop the more than three-year war.

https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-contact-group-nato-weapons-ammunition-838bee2f4c8389b1eb40c52d28dec970?

[phkrause]

US envoy says the Trump administration insists NATO allies raise defense investment to 5% The Trump administration wants to hear this week how NATO’s European member countries and Canada plan to boost defense investment to 5% of gross domestic product, new U.S. envoy Matthew Whitaker said Tuesday. Read more.

Why this matters: In 2023, as Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine entered its second year, NATO leaders agreed to spend at least 2% of GDP on national defense budgets. So far, 22 of the 32 member countries have done so. Trump has cast doubt over whether the U.S. would defend allies that spend too little.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ A still-unfolding diplomatic road seeking peace in Ukraine has had many twists and turns   Poland once threw its doors open to millions of Ukrainian refugees, but the mood has shifted   Albanian preliminary polls results show a clear win for the ruling Socialists

[phkrause]

NATO chief calls for ‘quantum leap’ in defense and says Russia could attack in 5 years

LONDON (AP) — NATO members need to increase their air and missile defenses by 400% to counter the threat from Russia, the head of the military alliance said Monday, warning that Moscow could be ready to attack it within five years.

https://apnews.com/article/nato-rutte-uk-starmer-defense-spending-ac7d5e3c2fc15747359c52d22a4d99da?

[phkrause]

NATO leaders gather Tuesday for what could be a historic summit U.S. President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts are due to gather Tuesday for a summit that could unite the world’s biggest security organization around a new defense spending pledge or widen divisions among the 32 allies. Read more.

What to know: Spain rejected the new NATO target for each country to spend 5% of its gross domestic product on defense needs, calling it “unreasonable.” Trump also insists on that figure. The alliance operates on a consensus that requires the backing of all 32 members. The following day, Trump said the U.S. should not have to respect the goal.   The United States is NATO’s most powerful member. It spends much more on defense than any other ally and far outweighs its partners in terms of military muscle. Washington has traditionally driven the agenda but has stepped back under Trump.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Hundreds protest in The Hague against NATO, military spending and possible conflict with Iran   As the UN turns 80, its crucial humanitarian aid work faces a clouded future   Finland’s lawmakers vote to leave land mine treaty as Nordic country boosts defenses against Russia

[phkrause]

NATO Spending Hike

NATO leaders are expected to agree to ramp up defense spending when the two-day summit concludes today. Countries may commit to spending 5% of their gross domestic product on defense by 2035—up from the current 2% target, which 22 of the 32 member countries have met.    The commitment responds to a call from President Donald Trump, who has conveyed skepticism about the military alliance’s value to the United States. The US is one of NATO's biggest contributors, responsible for roughly 16% of the alliance's collective $3.5B budget last year. It is also the only country to have triggered Article 5, which assures collective defense for all member countries. Spain struck a deal with NATO to be exempted in the final communique, instead committing 2.1% of its GDP to defense. Learn more about NATO here.    Separately, the ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to hold yesterday despite violations. An early US intelligence assessment meanwhile reportedly found US strikes set Iran's nuclear program back by months but left its uranium stockpile and centrifuges largely intact. The White House has denied the report. See updates here.

[phkrause]

NATO summit commits to hike military spending after pressure from Trump

NATO leaders agreed on a massive hike in defense spending Wednesday after pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, and expressed their “ironclad commitment” to come to each other’s aid if attacked. Read More.

[phkrause]

All NATO members projected to hit old spending target, with just three set to meet new goal NATO released data on Thursday showing that all its 32 members are projected to finally meet a longstanding goal of spending 2% of their overall economic output on defense this year, while only three meet a new goal set at 3.5% of GDP agreed in June. Read more.

Why this matters: A push for higher defense spending is one result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has created profound security concerns across Europe. It is also a reaction to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly accused European allies of not investing enough in their own security. Trump has warned Europeans that Washington might not defend those who fail to meet commitments.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump administration announces a $825 million arms sale to Ukraine Outraged over Russian strike on Kyiv, European defense leaders pledge pressure to end the war   Another French prime minister could be toppled. More political instability is ahead

[phkrause]

What NATO’s Article 4 talks mean after Russian drones entered Polish airspace

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO allies swiftly held talks Wednesday on the incursion by multiple Russian drones into Polish — and alliance — airspace and the shooting down of some of the weapons by Polish and Dutch fighter jets.

https://apnews.com/article/nato-poland-russia-ukraine-drones-article4-658921ca98eff77e39345041ba0900a3?

NATO’s first drone battle pits million-dollar jets against cheap drones, exposing vulnerabilities

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — For more than three years, Ukraine has waged an almost nightly battle against Russian attack drones. NATO on Wednesday got a taste of that fight.

https://apnews.com/article/poland-russia-drones-jamming-ukraine-incursion-nato-27b1aeed542604c91386df1fbe4463c7?

[phkrause]

Nato announces more air support to defend Poland against future Russian incursions

France, Germany and Denmark will contribute fighter jets and other military assets to an enhanced defence of Poland against future Russian drone incursions, Nato leaders announced at a press conference on Friday.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/12/nato-announces-enhanced-air-support-to-defend-poland-against-future-russian-incursions?

ps:So where is the US? Are they going to defend there allies, or just sit on the sidelines?????

[phkrause]

Russia’s drones in Poland raised NATO concerns. Now its war games in Belarus add to tensions  A swarm of Russian drones flies into Poland in what officials there regard as a deliberate provocation, NATO responds by bolstering the alliance’s air defenses on its eastern flank, and Moscow showcases its conventional and nuclear military might in long-planned exercises with Belarus, as it warns the West against sending foreign troops into Ukraine. These events — all taking place in the month since the U.S.-Russia summit meeting in Alaska failed to bring peace to Ukraine — have only heightened tensions in eastern Europe. Read more.

Why this matters: The latest sweeping drills, dubbed “Zapad 2025” — or “West 2025” — have worried NATO members Poland, Latvia and Lithuania that border Belarus to the west. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte referenced Moscow’s hypersonic missiles, noting that they shatter the notion that Spain or Britain are any safer than Russia’s neighbors of Estonia or Lithuania.   When Russia first used the Oreshnik against Ukraine in November 2024, Putin warned the West it could use it next against allies of Kyiv that allowed it to strike inside Russia with their longer-range missiles. Russian state media boasted it would take Oreshnik only 11 minutes to reach an air base in Poland and 17 minutes to reach NATO headquarters in Brussels.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Zelenskyy calls for a European air defense system as Russian strike wounds 13 in Ukrainian city   UK summons Russian ambassador over violation of NATO airspace and sends jets to Poland   Poland detains 2 Belarusian citizens flying drone over president’s residence in Warsaw

[phkrause]

Russian jets over Estonia ignored signals from NATO pilots, officials say

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian pilots ignored signals from Italian jets responding from NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission when they violated Estonian airspace, a senior Estonian military official said Saturday.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-jets-estonia-nato-signals-ed46783ac2ce71622a9f3aa8f2ba9ad7?

[phkrause]

NATO warns Russia it will use all means to defend against airspace breaches after Estonia incursions

NATO warned Russia on Tuesday that it would use all means to defend against airspace breaches. This follows the downing of Russian drones over Poland earlier this month and Estonia’s report of an intrusion by Russian fighter jets last week. The Poland incident was the first direct encounter between NATO and Moscow since the war in Ukraine began. It jolted leaders across Europe, raising questions about how prepared the alliance is against growing Russian aggression. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

A drone flyover above Copenhagen Airport prompts concerns that Russia was behind it Germany hopes to attract tens of thousands more military recruits as NATO strengthens its defenses

[phkrause]

? Russia dares NATO

Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Weeks of Russian incursions into NATO skies have pushed the U.S.-led alliance to the brink of an explosive choice: Strike back or stand down, Axios' Zachary Basu and Dave Lawler write. Why it matters: With peace talks frozen and nuclear threats flying, NATO and Russia are closer to a direct military confrontation than at any point since the Cold War. President Trump, long reluctant to confront Moscow, stunned allies this week by saying he supports shooting down Russian aircraft if the incursions continue. The Kremlin's response was a blunt one: Shoot down a Russian jet, and war will follow. ?️ The big picture: NATO officials believe Russia is deliberately testing the alliance's defenses — and its political will — with a wave of escalating provocations. Sept. 9-10: Nearly two dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace, forcing NATO to scramble fighter jets and engage enemy targets in allied airspace for the first time in its history. Sept. 13: A Russian drone lingered nearly an hour over Romanian territory. Sept. 19: Three Russian fighter jets flew 12 minutes into Estonian airspace with their transponders off — the most brazen violation yet. On Thursday, U.S. fighter jets intercepted Russian warplanes near Alaska's air defense identification zone for the ninth time this year. Norway reported three separate Russian airspace violations this year — the first incursions in over a decade. Drone swarms forced multiple airports in Denmark to shut down this week. Axios' Barak Ravid interviews Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for "The Axios Show" in Manhattan on Wednesday. Photo: Christopher Gill for Axios ? New episode of "The Axios Show": Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Barak Ravid on a new episode of "The Axios Show," out today, that the "very" weak NATO response had encouraged Putin to probe further. "They have to shoot down everything," Zelensky said, concurring with Trump. "If the jets are in your space, you have to block it." Zelensky said that not all NATO leaders were afraid to take such action, but most are. The reason, he said, is they think "Russia is crazy" — and "they are right." ? Watch "The Axios Show."

[phkrause]

Trump blasts Spain for being NATO’s spending ‘laggard.’ Madrid replies that it is a ‘loyal’ ally

Spain’s defense minister has defended her country’s commitment to NATO after U.S President Donald Trump floated the idea that the southern European country should be expelled from the military alliance for not spending enough on its armed forces. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

NATO begins a big nuclear exercise next week. Protecting the weapons is a key part of the drill Russian strikes wound at least 20 in Ukraine’s capital as child is killed in separate attack Melania Trump says 8 kids displaced by Russia-Ukraine war reunite with families after Putin talks

[phkrause]

The US draws down troops on NATO’s eastern flank as Europe frets about a security vacuum The U.S. confirmed on Wednesday that it will reduce its troop presence on NATO’s borders with Ukraine but shed no light on any future cuts, as its allies worry about a security gap being created at a time when Russia is increasingly confrontational. Read more.

Why this matters: The U.S. armed forces denied it was a sign of lessened commitment to NATO. NATO allies have expressed concern that the Trump administration might leave a security vacuum as European countries confront an increasingly aggressive Russia. Analysts say it might tempt Russia to test the military alliance.   Depending on operations and exercises, around 80,000-100,000 U.S. troops are usually present on European soil. The administration has been reviewing its military “posture” in Europe and elsewhere, but U.S. officials have said that the findings of the review were not expected to be known before early next year.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Russia blasts Ukraine’s power grid again, causing outages across the country and killing 2   Putin says Russia’s nuclear-armed underwater drone was tested successfully

[phkrause]

A new system to identify and take down Russian drones is being deployed to NATO's eastern flank Poland and Romania are deploying the new American Merops weapons system to defend against Russian drones, following a spate of incursions into NATO airspace in recent months that exposed the alliance’s vulnerabilities and put Europe on edge. Read more.

What to know: Merops, which is small enough to fit in the back of a midsize pickup truck, can identify drones and close in on them, using artificial intelligence to navigate when satellite and electronic communications are jammed. As well as being deployed in Poland and Romania, it will also be used by Denmark, NATO military officials told AP, part of a move to boost defenses on the alliance’s eastern flank.   The aim is to make the border with Russia so well-armed that Moscow’s forces will be deterred from ever contemplating crossing, from Norway in the north to Turkey in the south, the officials said.   Drones fly low and slow, making them hard to pinpoint on radar systems calibrated for spotting high-speed missiles. They can also be mistaken for birds or planes. The Merops system, NATO officials said, helps plug those gaps.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Ukraine says it has hit a major Russian oil refinery with long-range drones   Putin tells officials to submit plans for possibly resuming nuclear tests after Trump's remarks   South Africa investigates how 17 men were duped into joining mercenaries in the Russia-Ukraine war

[phkrause]

NATO death watch

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner attend a press conference in Paris with the leaders of Germany, Ukraine, France and Britain. Photo: Tom Nicholson/Getty Images Hours after issuing an unprecedented statement against President Trump's threats to take over Greenland, the leaders of France, Germany and the U.K. stood with Trump's envoys in Paris and announced joint security guarantees for Ukraine, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: The events of the past few days — particularly Trump's renewed threats about Greenland after the Venezuela raid — left real doubts in Europe about whether the transatlantic alliance will survive. A senior Trump adviser acknowledged deep concern in Europe about Greenland but stressed the administration's plans are in the very early stages. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said a U.S. move on Greenland would mean the end of NATO, a fear that has rippled across the continent. Denmark has realized in recent weeks that its strategy of quiet ally-to-ally persuasion on Greenland failed to move Trump, a Danish official told Axios: "This is why it is such a serious situation. This is also why our allies and partners come out publicly against it and sound the alarm." ? The backdrop: Before a meeting in Paris yesterday among 30 nations to discuss Ukraine, several leaders released a statement saying it was "for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland." The meeting itself was successful, with Ukraine, its European backers and the U.S. converging more closely than ever on security guarantees. Things got awkward when a reporter asked if commitments mean anything when Trump muses about seizing the territory of an ally the U.S. has pledged to defend. Later in Washington, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief's disposal." ? Between the lines: The Danish government is in crisis mode. Administration contacts in recent months have been more reassuring in private, the Danish official said: "Everyone we talked to said that they wanted to work to get things back on track and into the usual working mechanisms." Then White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told CNN's Jake Tapper on Monday that U.S. policy had been and would remain taking full control over Greenland: "Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland."

[phkrause]

Czech president urges Nato to ‘show its teeth’ over Russia’s provocations

The Czech president, Petr Pavel, has urged Nato to “show its teeth” in response to Russia’s repeated testing of the alliance’s resolve on its eastern flank, suggesting a range of options including switching off its internet, cutting off its banks from global financial systems and shooting down jets that violate allied airspace.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/22/czech-president-petr-pavel-nato-show-teeth-russia-provocations?