Feb 12 Watch 5:56 Former Amb. Volker condemns Trump’s comments on not protecting NATO allies By Amna Nawaz, Dan Sagalyn At a campaign event, Donald Trump claimed he told a NATO member that he would withhold U.S. help and encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want'' to countries that are “delinquent.” European leaders condemned the comments as reckless… Continue watching
Feb 12 Fact-checking Trump’s comments urging Russia to invade ‘delinquent’ NATO members By Vanessa Gera, Associated Press Trump's comment on Saturday represented the latest instance in which the former president and Republican front-runner seemed to side with an authoritarian state over America's democratic allies. Continue reading
Feb 11 NATO secretary-general says Trump puts allies at risk by encouraging Russian aggression By Vanessa Gera, Lorne Cook, Associated Press The head of the NATO military alliance warned Sunday that Donald Trump was putting the safety of U.S. troops and their allies at risk after the Republican presidential front-runner said Russia should be able to do "whatever the hell they want" to… Continue reading
Feb 11 Trump says he told NATO ally to spend more on defense or he would ‘encourage’ Russia to ‘do whatever the hell they want’ By Jill Colvin, Associated Press At a rally in South Carolina, Trump recounted a story he has told before about an unidentified NATO member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the alliance’s defense spending targets. But this… Continue reading
Feb 05 Orbán’s party boycotts a session of Hungary’s parliament to further stall Sweden’s bid to join NATO By Justin Spike, Associated Press The governing Fidesz party, which holds an absolute majority in the Hungarian parliament, has stalled Sweden's bid since July 2022, alleging that Swedish politicians have told "blatant lies" about the condition of Hungary's democracy. Continue reading
Jan 29 WATCH: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin returns to work at the Pentagon after cancer surgery complications By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin returned to work at the Pentagon on Monday after nearly a month's absence because of prostate cancer and met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Continue reading
Jan 29 WATCH: Blinken and NATO head Stoltenberg meet as Sweden moves closer to military alliance entry By Lolita C. Baldor, Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller, Associated Press The brazen attack, which the Biden administration blames on Iranian-based proxies, adds another layer of complexity to an already tense Mideast situation as the Biden administration tries to keep the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a broader regional conflict. Continue reading
Jan 27 U.S. approves sale of fighter jets to Turkey and Greece after Turkey ratifies Sweden’s entry to NATO By Matthew Lee, Associated Press The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and F-35s to Greece following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO. Continue reading
Jan 25 Turkey formally ratifies Sweden’s NATO membership, leaving Hungary as only ally yet to endorse it By Associated Press Turkey has published a measure approving Sweden's membership in NATO in its official gazette. That finalizes the ratification, bringing the previously nonaligned country a step closer to joining the military alliance. Continue reading
Jan 24 Hungary is the last holdout for Sweden’s NATO membership. So when will Orbán follow Turkey’s lead? By Justin Spike, Associated Press After more than a year of delays, and consistent urging from its Western partners to move forward with Sweden's application, the Central European country and its conservative populist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, are once again in the spotlight. Continue reading