All posts tagged: Allies

Romania Says Allies Preparing to Bolster Air Defences After Russian Drone Strike

Romania Says Allies Preparing to Bolster Air Defences After Russian Drone Strike

PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) – Romania’s foreign minister said ⁠on ⁠Wednesday several allies were preparing ⁠to reinforce air defence capabilities along NATO’s eastern flank after a drone ​identified by Bucharest as Russian crashed into a residential building on its territory.  Oana Toiu said during a ‌visit to Paris that the incident ‌would accelerate efforts already underway with NATO to strengthen surveillance and response systems, focusing on ⁠radars, fighter jets ⁠and anti-drone technologies. “Our top priority is to increase capabilities,” she said, adding ​that Bucharest had already presented NATO with a detailed list of needs before the incident. Under those plans, allies are assessing how to supplement Romania’s existing air monitoring and air defence systems, particularly along its 650-km (400-mile) ​border with Ukraine. The reinforcements could include additional assets from allied countries, such as aircraft involved ⁠in NATO’s ⁠air policing mission, as ⁠well as expanded ​radar coverage to track low-flying drones, Toiu said. France, which leads NATO’s battlegroup in Romania with ​about 1,400 troops, is discussing ⁠further support on radar and air monitoring systems, while other …

France and allies intercept uncompliant Russian shadow fleet tanker, Kremlin calls it ‘piracy’

France and allies intercept uncompliant Russian shadow fleet tanker, Kremlin calls it ‘piracy’

France and its allies detained a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Atlantic over the weekend, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday. According to a prosecutor, the Russian captain of the seized tanker refused to comply with the French navy’s orders, and “taking control of the vessel proved necessary”. The Brest prosecutor’s office said that a criminal investigation had been opened over failure to prove a vessel’s nationality, absence of a flag and refusal to comply. The Tagor was detained on Sunday morning in international waters with the help of the United Kingdom and other partners, he said in a social media post. “It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years,” he said. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov challenged the seizure by France and other navies, calling it “illegal” and comparing the move to “piracy”. Since September, France has boarded three other ships believed to belong to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. …

Colombia votes in presidential election pitting Petro allies against pro-Trump candidates

Colombia votes in presidential election pitting Petro allies against pro-Trump candidates

Colombians cast their ballots Sunday in the first round of the South American nation’s presidential election, choosing between candidates with radically diverging visions for the future of peace in a country haunted by decades of armed conflict.  The vote, seen as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies, comes 10 years after Colombia signed an historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.  That agreement offered hope to break the nation out of a vicious cycle of fighting between rebel groups and the government but violence has roared back since then, coming to a head in the lead-up to the presidential vote. Criminal groups have increasingly launched drone strikes, armed attacks have plagued the race and last June, 39-year-old politician and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was fatally shot at a political rally. In a country where the fight for peace has long been a part of the political ethos, the question of how to address the conflict is once again dividing the country. There are 14 candidates on …

American Allies Warn Division Weakens Deterrence in Calls for Global Unity to Meet New Threats

American Allies Warn Division Weakens Deterrence in Calls for Global Unity to Meet New Threats

SINGAPORE (AP) — American allies stressed the need for unity at a top defense conference Sunday, saying that as threats increasingly transcend regions, cooperation is more important than ever, even as Washington has become more critical of its traditional friends. U.S. President Donald Trump has been extremely harsh about NATO, and the comments at the Shangri-La conference came the day after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth again chided Western European allies at the forum for not devoting enough resources to defense. Japan pushes for unity, saying it strengthens deterrence Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi praised Hegseth for his commitment to the Indo-Pacific, but at the same time stressed the continued need for strong coalitions globally. “Division weakens deterrence, unity strengthens deterrence,” he told the conference, hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “If gaps emerge among the United States, Europe, and allies and like-minded countries, forces which take it as an opportunity will surely come in,” he said. “We must prevent such a situation. We must keep our cooperation going on. Now is the …

U.S. is right to ask allies to spend more on defense, Dutch DPM says

U.S. is right to ask allies to spend more on defense, Dutch DPM says

Netherlands’ Deputy Prime Minister VVD party leader Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius speaks during a weekly press conference following the Council of Ministers in The Hague on April 10, 2026. (Photo by Robin Utrecht / ANP / AFP via Getty Images) / Netherlands OUT Robin Utrecht | Afp | Getty Images The U.S.’ call for allies to step up defense spending is legitimate, according to Dutch deputy prime minster Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius. Speaking to CNBC’s Sri Jegarajah on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Yesilgoz said that before the Ukraine war broke out, the Netherlands had relied a lot on allies. “So I think this is a very clear message, and it’s very important that every NATO ally has to make sure that we invest enough the 5% we agreed upon during the Hague summit. The Netherlands is doing this, and I urge also other countries to do so,” she added. Back in June 2025, NATO countries — except Spain — had committed to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense, split into 3.5% for direct …

Russia’s drone blame game fails to split Ukraine from its Baltic allies – POLITICO

Russia’s drone blame game fails to split Ukraine from its Baltic allies – POLITICO

That can send drones toward neighboring NATO territory — something Baltic and Ukrainian officials say is now happening. For Kyiv, the balance is delicate. Ukrainian officials have apologized for incidents involving stray drones, while insisting that strikes on Russian military and economic targets are lawful acts of self-defense. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown no sign of halting the bombing campaign, which he calls “sanctions” aimed at bringing Russia to its knees. Russia’s air defenses are becoming increasingly porous, prompting it to try to use political pressure to halt the Ukrainian attacks. “Russia wants to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of countries that are one of the key ones in terms of direct and indirect support for Ukraine,” Mykola Bielieskov, a senior military analyst with the Come Back Alive Initiative and a research fellow at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, told POLITICO. The goal, he said, is to create “a point of contradiction and division” between Kyiv and the Baltic countries. So far, that effect has not materialized. Baltic officials are not blaming Ukraine …

Reeves allies unleash on Miliband in battle for Britain’s Treasury – POLITICO

Reeves allies unleash on Miliband in battle for Britain’s Treasury – POLITICO

The MP stressed that given both Burnham and the other main leadership contender, Wes Streeting, have signed up to Reeves’ fiscal rules it “doesn’t leave much margin for significant change anyway.” “The bond markets kind of make her bomb-proof,” another Labour MP argued, praising the incumbent chancellor’s record for steadying the economy in turbulent times. “The big clash between Rachel and Ed is over the North Sea,” this person added, referring to the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas fields whose licenses have been stymied by legal challenges. Reeves is seen as being in favor of their expansion, while Miliband puts more emphasis on the climate trade-offs. “So there’s a big fault line there. No wonder he wants her out of the way.” Another backbencher said they believed Miliband — who has made no public comment on whether he would want the job and remains in Starmer’s cabinet — would prevent “any meaningful welfare reform.” “Reverting back to a 2010-15 economic policy hymn-sheet” — the years when Miliband led the Labour Party to electoral defeat …