NATO | DD News

June 26, 2024 4:14 PM

NATO picks Netherlands’ Mark Rutte as next boss

NATO on Wednesday selected Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as NATO's next boss, as the war in Ukraine rages on its doorstep and uncertainty hangs over the United States' future attitude to the transatlantic alliance. Rutte's appointment became a formality after his only rival for the post, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced last week that he had quit the race, having failed to gain traction. Rutte will take over on Oct. 1 from Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, who is stepping down af...

June 19, 2024 4:46 PM

Dutchman Mark Rutte, longtime Putin critic, set to lead NATO alliance

Mark Rutte, who looks set to be NATO's next secretary-general, is a staunch ally of Ukraine and a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who honed his skills as a political dealmaker during nearly 14 years as Dutch prime minister. Rutte, 57, has been one of the driving forces behind Europe's military support for Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion, and says defeat on the battlefield for Moscow is vital to secure peace in Europe. His view is heavily influenced by the downing of an ...

June 19, 2024 2:08 AM

Putin flies into North Korea with promise to back it against the US

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea on Wednesday for his first visit in 24 years, vowing to deepen trade and security ties with the reclusive nuclear-armed state and to support it against the United States. Russian state media showed Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shaking hands, embracing and talking beside Putin's plane. It touched down in Pyongyang around 2:45 a.m. following a stopover in Russia's far east. The leaders then rode in the same limousine and walked ...

May 26, 2024 12:14 PM

Macron heads to Germany in first French presidential state visit in 24 years

French President Emanuel Macron lands in Germany on Sunday for a three-day state visit followed by a bilateral cabinet meeting as the European Union's two biggest powers seek to show unity ahead of next month's EU parliamentary elections. Macron's trip to the capital Berlin, Dresden in the east and Muenster in the west is the first French presidential state visit to Germany in 24 years. The visit will be watched as a checkup on the health of the German-French relationship that drives EU policy...

May 16, 2024 1:01 PM

Slovak leader Fico stable after surgery but condition ‘very serious’, PM Modi condemns the attack

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was in "very serious" but stable condition on Thursday, a hospital official said, after he was shot five times in an assassination attempt that laid bare deep political divisions in the country. Condemning the shooting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a "cowardly and dastardly act" and wished the Slovak PM a speedy recovery. In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakia's Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Robert Fico....

May 6, 2024 9:58 PM

Putin orders tactical nuclear weapon drills to deter the West

Russia said on Monday it would practise the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons as part of a military after what the Moscow said were threats from France, Britain and the United States. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Russia has repeatedly warned of rising nuclear risks - warnings which the United States says it has to take seriously though U.S. officials say they have seen no change in Russia's nuclear posture. Russia says the United States and its European allies are pushing the w...

April 26, 2024 10:12 AM

China must stop aiding Russia if it seeks good relations with West, NATO says

China must stop supporting Russia's war in Ukraine if it wants to enjoy good relations with the West, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, warning Beijing in unusually harsh words it cannot have it both ways. During a visit to Berlin, the chief of the Western military alliance said Beijing's help was vital to Moscow's war effort as it was propping up Russia's war economy by sharing high-end technology like semiconductors. "Last year, Russia imported 90% of its microelectro...

September 16, 2024 4:50 PM

NATO ministers mull 100 billion euro military fund for Ukraine

NATO foreign ministers met on Wednesday to discuss how to put military support for Ukraine on a long-term footing, including a proposal for a 100 billion euro ($107 billion) five-year fund and a plan seen as a way to "Trump-proof" aid for Kyiv. The proposals by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg would give the Western alliance a more direct role in coordinating the supply of arms, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine as it fights Russia's invasion, diplomats say. The plans will be discusse...