Putin warns the West a Russia-NATO conflict is just one step from World War III
Moscow, Russia Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Monday that a direct conflict between Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance would mean the planet was one step away from World War III but said hardly anyone wanted such a scenario. The Ukraine war has triggered the deepest crisis in Moscow’s relations […]
Poland’s capital Warsaw earmarks $US30 million for bomb shelters and other security
Warsaw, Poland Reuters Poland’s capital Warsaw will spend 117 million zlotys ($US30 million) in the next two to three years on bomb shelters and other security measures, with war in neighbouring Ukraine in its third year, the city’s mayor said on Wednesday. While NATO member Poland has reassured citizens that its place in the alliance […]
Vatican says Russian aggression must end to allow peace in Ukraine
Vatican City Reuters The first condition for any negotiations to end the war in Ukraine is that Russia should halt its aggression, the second in command to Pope Francis said in a newspaper interview on Tuesday. Ukraine’s foreign ministry summoned the papal nuncio on Monday to express “disappointment” with previous comments by Francis that Ukraine […]
Kremlin, NATO at odds over Pope’s call for Ukraine to show ‘white flag’ and start talks
Moscow, Russia/Brussels, Belgium Reuters The Kremlin on Monday said a call by Pope Francis for talks to end the Ukraine war was “quite understandable”, but NATO’s boss said now was not the time to talk about “surrender”. Pope Francis said in an interview recorded last month that Ukraine should have “the courage of the white […]
Biden takes on Trump over Russia, democracy in fiery State of the Union address
Updated: 3pm (AEDT) Washington DC, US Reuters President Joe Biden assailed former President Donald Trump for kowtowing to Russia, failing to care about COVID-19 and papering over the 6th January Capitol assault on Thursday in a State of the Union speech making his case for re-election in 2024. Biden, speaking before a joint session of […]
Sweden joins NATO as war in Ukraine prompts security rethink
Washington DC, US/Stockholm, Sweden Reuters Sweden joined NATO in Washington on Thursday, two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced it to rethink its national security policy and conclude that support for the alliance was the Scandinavian nation’s best guarantee of safety. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed over the final documentation to the US […]
Putin warns West of risk of nuclear war, says Moscow can strike Western targets
Moscow, Russia Reuters President Vladimir Putin told Western countries on Thursday they risked provoking a nuclear war if they sent troops to fight in Ukraine, warning that Moscow had the weapons to strike targets in the West. The war in Ukraine has triggered the worst crisis in Moscow’s relations with the West since the 1962 […]
NATO allies rule out sending troops to Ukraine as Russia rebukes Macron
Berlin, Germany/Moscow, Russia Reuters The United States and key European allies said on Tuesday they had no plans to send ground troops to Ukraine, after France hinted at the possibility, and the Kremlin warned that any such move would inevitably lead to conflict between Russia and NATO. French President Emmanuel Macron had said on Monday […]
France’s Macron does not rule out Europeans sending troops to Ukraine
Paris, France Reuters French President Emmanuel Macron opened the door on Monday to European nations sending troops to Ukraine, although he cautioned that there was no consensus at this stage as allies agreed to ramp up efforts to deliver more munitions to Kyiv. Some 20 European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday to send Russian […]
Sweden clears final hurdle to join NATO as Hungary approves accession
Budapest, Hungary/Stockholm, Sweden Reuters Hungary’s parliament approved Sweden’s NATO accession on Monday, clearing the last hurdle before the historic step by the Nordic country whose neutrality lasted through two world wars and the simmering conflict of the Cold War. Hungary’s vote ended months of delays to complete Sweden’s security policy shift and followed a visit […]