September 13, 2024 10:48 AM

Putin says West will be fighting directly with Russia if it lets Kyiv use long-range missiles

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading with Kyiv's allies for months to let Ukraine fire Western missiles including long-range U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadows deep into Russian territory to limit Moscow's ability to launch at...

August 12, 2024 5:28 PM

Turkey’s priority is fulfilling NATO responsibilities, defence minister says

Turkey is fully committed to its responsibilities to NATO, its defence minister told Reuters, amid concern amongst some Western allies that Ankara may be tilting away from the West. Last month, President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey wants to be a partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) - a security, political and economic club launched in 2001 by Russia, China and Central Asian states as a counterweight to Western alliances. Defence Minister Yasar Guler said in a written interview...

July 24, 2024 5:02 PM

NATO finds gaping holes in defences of Europe

The war in Ukraine and the looming U.S. presidential election dominated a NATO summit in Washington this month but, away from the public stage, the alliance's military planners have been focused on assessing the enormous cost of fixing Europe's creaking defences. NATO leaders agreed plans last year for the biggest overhaul in three decades of its defence capabilities, amid growing fears of Russian aggression. Behind the scenes, officials have since been poring over the minimum defence requireme...

July 12, 2024 10:45 AM

Ukraine urges NATO to lift restrictions on targeting Russia, China denounces criticism

Ukraine on Thursday urged NATO allies to lift restrictions on its use of long-range weapons against targets in Russia, saying that would be "game-changer" in its war with Moscow, while China slammed NATO criticism of its support for Russia as biased and malicious. NATO members issued a declaration in support of Ukraine at a summit in Washington on Wednesday, promising additional aid and pledging to back its "irreversible path" to NATO membership. "At this summit we are turning a corner and p...

July 10, 2024 9:54 PM

Biden, NATO poised to unveil Ukraine aid, reiterate membership pledge at summit

U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders of other NATO member states are poised to unveil new aid and reiterate a membership pledge for Ukraine at a summit in Washington after the U.S. leader vowed to defend Kyiv against Russia's invasion. Biden, 81, who has faced questions about his fitness for office after fumbling a June 27 debate, hopes the international event will help him stage a comeback of sorts ahead of his Nov. 5 reelection bid. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on W...

July 10, 2024 10:32 AM

Ukraine will stop Putin, Biden tells NATO in forceful speech

U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to forcefully defend Ukraine against Russia's invasion at the NATO summit in Washington on Tuesday, using the global stage to try to show allies at home and abroad that he can still lead. Biden, 81, has endured 12 days of withering questions about his fitness for office as some of his fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill and campaign donors fear that he will lose the Nov. 5 election after a halting debate performance on June 27. "(Vladimir) Putin w...

July 4, 2024 3:24 PM

Xi and Putin set out ambitions for Eurasian security club

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged members of a regional security club on Thursday to resist external meddling, while President Vladimir Putin was due to speak about creating a new Eurasian security system at the group's annual meeting. Putin and Xi have expanded the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a club founded in 2001 with Russia, China and Central Asian nations, to include India, Iran and Pakistan as a counterweight to the West. The group also represents the new key customers for ...

September 16, 2024 4:15 PM

PM Modi extends congratulations to new Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Dick Schoof on his appointment as the new Prime Minister of the Netherlands on Tuesday, and said he looks forward to closely working to further advance India-Netherlands ties. In a post on social media platform X, PM Modi said, "Congratulations Dick Schoof on assuming office as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Look forward to closely working together to advance India-Netherlands partnership including in the areas of renewable energy, water manage...

July 2, 2024 8:01 PM

Former spy chief Dick Schoof sworn in as Dutch Prime Minister

Dick Schoof, the former head of the Dutch Secret Service, was sworn in as the Netherlands' new Prime Minister on Tuesday, ending a seven-month political impasse following the far-right's victory in last November's elections. He is leading a broad right-wing coalition cabinet promising to implement the country's "strictest-ever" immigration policy. King Willem-Alexander officiated the ceremony at the royal Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, where Schoof and his cabinet ministers took their oat...

June 28, 2024 8:38 PM

Biden’s shaky debate has overseas allies bracing for Trump return

Joe Biden's shaky performance in the U.S. presidential debate drew stunned global reactions on Friday, prompting public calls for him to step aside and likely leaving some of America's closest allies steeling for Donald Trump's return. Biden's supporters had hoped Thursday's debate would erase worries that he was too old to serve but footage of the president sounding hoarse and stumbling over his words boosted Trump, said politicians, analysts and investors. Global newspapers were also damning...