All posts tagged: Multinational defense programs

AUKUS unveils undersea drone project to deepen defense partnership – POLITICO

AUKUS unveils undersea drone project to deepen defense partnership – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership established in 2021 by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. It focuses on countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region by enhancing the three countries’ military capabilities through the deployment of nuclear-powered submarines, what is known as the “Pillar One” of the alliance. The three countries also are cooperating to develop advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cyber capabilities, and other undersea and defense systems — referred to as “Pillar Two.” The alliance encompasses Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines from the United States, the joint development of a new AUKUS-class submarine, and the creation of facilities to host U.S. and British submarines on Australian territory. In mid-2025, the U.K. and Australia scrambled to reassure Washington of their commitment to AUKUS after the Pentagon ordered a review of the pact, fueling fears that the United States could retreat from the agreement. Those concerns eased in October, when U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed his backing for the alliance. “The United States, as we’ve said from the beginning, and …

Russia batters Kyiv with massive missile and drone attack – POLITICO

Russia batters Kyiv with massive missile and drone attack – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Russia’s military pummeled Kyiv overnight with large-scale drone and missile attack that killed at least two people and injured scores of others, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday. Moscow’s forces used some 600 drones and 30 missiles, including at least one Oreshnik, a powerful hypersonic ballistic missile that is capable of carrying nuclear weapons, Ukraine’s air force said. “The largest number of missiles was directed at the capital — at ordinary residential buildings, at schools,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “The Russian strike effectively destroyed the Chornobyl Museum, damaged the National Art Museum and the building housing the office of Germany’s ARD,” Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian intelligence services had warned of an attack using Oreshnik missiles on Friday, Zelenskyy said in another post. “The use of such weapons … also sets a global precedent for other potential aggressors,” he warned. The attack on Kyiv came after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack on student dormitory in Luhansk, in occupied eastern Ukraine, in which 18 people died. Putin …

Trump casts doubt on Iran’s new peace proposal – POLITICO

Trump casts doubt on Iran’s new peace proposal – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“I’ll let you know about it later,” Trump told reporters in Florida earlier Saturday. “They’re going to give me the exact wording now,” he said before boarding Air Force One. Trump rejected a previous Iranian proposal, but conversations have continued, and the three-week ceasefire appears to be holding. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told diplomats in Tehran that “the ball is in the United States’ court to choose the path of diplomacy or the continuation of a confrontational approach,” according to media reports. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, meanwhile, briefed EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Tehran’s latest initiatives aimed at ending the war, Tasnim reported. During a telephone call on Friday, Araqchi and Kallas discussed regional and international developments, according to the report. Source link

Paris and Athens exchange mutual defense pledges amid geopolitical turmoil – POLITICO

Paris and Athens exchange mutual defense pledges amid geopolitical turmoil – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“France is Greece’s true ally,” Mitsotakis said, adding that “the highlight of the Greece-France agreements is the commitments to mutual assistance.” On top of a broader “enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership,” the two governments signed agreements in areas from education to scientific research to nuclear energy. During the visit, French defense giant MBDA also signed a contract to continue support for the Greek army’s Mica missiles. In parallel, the two leaders insisted on the need to clarify how the EU’s mutual defense clause — Article 42.7 of the Treaty on the EU — would work in practice, while stressing that the clause should not be seen as a replacement for NATO’s Article 5 security guarantee. Earlier on Saturday, at the Piraeus port, Macron and Mitsotakis visited a Greek frigate built by France’s Naval Group with French Defense and Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin and the company’s CEO Pierre-Eric Pommelet. Source link

Ukraine-Russia blame game over Easter ceasefire violations – POLITICO

Ukraine-Russia blame game over Easter ceasefire violations – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Russia declared a temporary 32-hour ceasefire to mark Orthodox Easter, starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday and lasting through Sunday, following calls from Kyiv for a pause in the fighting over the holiday period. Ukraine and Russia exchanged 175 prisoners of war as the ceasefire took effect Saturday. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X Saturday that Ukraine would “adhere to the ceasefire” but “respond strictly in kind” to any potential violations. “If there are no Russian strikes, there will be no response from us,” he said. But he added that “every Ukrainian unit retains the right to respond.” Source link

UK puts Diego Garcia handover on hold to appease Trump – POLITICO

UK puts Diego Garcia handover on hold to appease Trump – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The U.S. president has changed his mind multiple times on the issue. But in February, Trump warned Starmer that he was “making a big mistake” in giving over the island. “This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally,” Trump said. The British government earlier this week acknowledged that it’s running out of time to pass the legislation. “We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base, but we have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has U.S. support,” a U.K. government spokesperson said Saturday, according to the Guardian. The agreement was meant to avoid a potentially painful and expensive legal dispute with Mauritius over the former colony. Indeed, after Trump’s intervention last month, Mauritius said that it was exploring legal tools against London. Toby Noskwith, a spokesperson for campaign group Indigenous Chagossian People, told Reuters that questions needed to be asked about “the …

Putin announces 32-hour Easter ceasefire in Ukraine – POLITICO

Putin announces 32-hour Easter ceasefire in Ukraine – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an Orthodox Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, following repeated calls by Kyiv for a pause in hostilities over the holiday period. The ceasefire would start at 4 p.m. on Saturday and last until the end of Sunday, the day Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, the Kremlin said in a statement late Thursday.  “The commander in chief ordered a stop to military actions in all directions for that period of time,” the Kremlin said, adding that it has expectations the Ukrainian side would follow the example of Russia. “At the same time, the troops have to be ready to prevent possible provocations from the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions,” it said. Ukraine has called for an Easter ceasefire for weeks, and even proposed an energy ceasefire, offering to stop striking Russia’s oil depots if Moscow stops attacks on the Ukrainian energy grid. Source link

Tehran strikes near Israeli nuclear center as Trump threatens attacks on Iranian power plants – POLITICO

Tehran strikes near Israeli nuclear center as Trump threatens attacks on Iranian power plants – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Iranian state TV said Saturday’s strikes by Tehran were a response to an attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility earlier in the day, according to the BBC. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, said the fact that ballistic missiles evaded Israeli defenses and struck near the nuclear research site appears to signal “a new phase” in the war. “If Israel is unable to intercept missiles in the heavily protected Dimona area, it is, operationally, a sign of entering a new phase of the conflict,” he posted on social media network X. “Israel’s skies are defenseless.” He added that the “time has come to implement the next pre-planned schemes,” without providing further details. Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said the strikes did not represent a new threat. “The air defense systems operated but did not intercept the missile. We will investigate the incident and learn from it,” he wrote on X. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it had been a “very difficult evening,” and vowed to “continue to strike our enemies on all fronts.” The International Atomic Energy …