Latest news with #NATO
Qatar Tribune
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Finland joins several of its NATO neighbours in exiting landmine treaty
CopenhagencTypeface:> Finland is to follow several of its NATO neighbours and exit the Ottawa Treaty banning the use of anti-personnel landmines, following a vote in the Helsinki parliament on Thursday, state broadcaster Yle reported. The measure was passed by 157 to eight votes and will go into force six months after formal Finnish notification to the UN. Baltic republics Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have already taken similar decisions, as has Poland. The Finnish government had announced the move in April following approval by the parliamentary foreign affairs committee. The Finnish military takes the view that it needs landmines to defend the country. The Ottawa Treaty went into effect in March 1999, banning the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of landmines. Finland signed up in 2012. The United States, Russia, China, India and Pakistan have not signed. (DPA)
an hour ago
- Politics
Europeans step up Arctic diplomacy amid U.S. and global pressure
In recent days, a flurry of high-profile visits has marked this shift, including a new letter of intent signed between Iceland and France. The agreement, finalized last week, focuses on security challenges in the Arctic and deepening both countries' NATO commitments. Excellent strategic dialogue between [Iceland] and [France] this week in Reykjavík on security in the North Atlantic and the Arctic, NATO, support for Ukraine, and strengthening our bilateral cooperation, among other topics, marked by the signing of a Letter of Intent, Alexandre Escorcia, director for European, North American, and multilateral affairs at the French Ministry for the Armed Forces, said on X on Friday. The French delegation also toured Iceland's Keflavík Air Base. The talks also focused on Iceland's growing emphasis on security and defense, including the development of the country's first national defense and security policy, Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs said in a statement. No longer business-as-usual in the North Arctic nations have grown increasingly concerned about the shifting balance of power in the region, especially since the war in Ukraine and Russia's continued militarization of the Arctic. Meanwhile, China's expanding presence, fueled by its 'Polar Silk Road' ambitions, is intensifying tensions, with Western sanctions on Russia pushing Beijing and Moscow closer together. On top of that, former President Donald Trump's persistent rhetoric on claiming Greenland have put Arctic nations, and the West more broadly, that on notice that's no longer business as usual in the North. The signing of the Letter of Intent was part of a broader surge in European diplomatic activity in the Arctic in recent days. On June 15, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Greenland, where he met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen to reaffirm Europe's solidarity in the face of U.S. ambitions for the territory. The situation in Greenland is clearly a wakeup call for all Europeans, Macron said in a report by Reuters news wire service. Let me tell you very directly that you're not alone. Macron's visit came amid mounting tensions over U.S. plans for the Arctic. Last week, Denmark ave the green light for U.S. military bases on its soil, deepening Arctic security ties with Washington. A move that came despite ongoing tensions over former President Donald Trump's continued wish to take control of Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told lawmakers at the time that Denmark could scrap the deal if the U.S. ever attempts to annex any part of Greenland. (new window) Meanwhile, also last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seemed to confirm that the Pentagon has contingency plans to seize Greenland by force if needed. Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee pressed Hegseth for answers on military plans for Greenland. When Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) asked directly if the Pentagon had plans to take Greenland by force, Hegseth deflected, saying, 'Our job at the Defense Department is to have plans for any contingency.' (new window) Norwegian monarch travels to Svalbard And a day after Macron's visit to Greenland, Norway's King Harald and Queen Sonja visited Svalbard (new window) to reinforce Norwegian sovereignty over the strategically crucial islands. We see an increased interest in the Arctic and Svalbard, he said in an AP report on Monday. This creates challenges as well as possibilities. Norway's control over Svalbard is backed by the 1920 Svalbard Treaty and international law, giving it full authority over the archipelago, its waters, and airspace. But as part of the Treaty, Norway must allow other signatory countries equal access to things like fishing, hunting, and commercial activities, though Norway still regulates how it's done. Russia, a signatory to the treaty, has small settlements on Svalbard including Barentsburg and Pyramiden. China, also a signatory, has a significant research interest in Svalbard and operates the Yellow River Research Station in the town of Ny-Ålesund. Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at Related stories from around the North: Canada:Five things to know about Canada's plan to meet the NATO defence spending target (new window) , CBC News Denmark: Denmark approves US military bases on Danish soil as Trump eyes Greenland (new window) , The Associated Press Finland: US, Norwegian forces in Lapland for rapid reinforcement exercise (new window) , The Independent Barents Observer Iceland: Iceland's FM announces defence review, calls revamped security policy 'urgent' (new window) , Eye on the Arctic Norway: Macron visits Greenland show European support for Arctic island coveted by Trump (new window) , Reuters Russia: Drone attack on Russian warplanes, including in Arctic, serious blow to strategic arsenal (new window) , The Associated Press Sweden: Nordic-Baltic region joins forces around Sweden's CV90 (new window) , The Independent Barents Observer United States: White House releases U.S. Arctic strategy implementation plan (new window) , Eye on the Arctic Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic (new window) @arctic_eq (new window)
Japan Today
an hour ago
- Business
- Japan Today
Spain rejects NATO's anticipated 5% defense spending proposal as 'unreasonable'
By SUMAN NAISHADHAM and LORNE COOK Spain has rejected a NATO proposal to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense needs that's due to be announced next week, calling it 'unreasonable.' Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in a letter sent on Thursday to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, said that Spain 'cannot commit to a specific spending target in terms of GDP' at next week's NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. Any agreement to adopt a new spending guideline must be made with the consensus of all 32 NATO member states. So Sánchez's decision risks derailing next week's summit, which U.S. President Donald Trump is due to attend, and creating a last-minute shakeup that could have lingering repercussions. Most U.S. allies in NATO are on track to endorse Trump's demand that they invest 5% of GDP on their defense and military needs. In early June, Sweden and the Netherlands said that they aim to meet the new target. A NATO official on Thursday said that discussions between allies were ongoing about a new defense spending plan. 'For Spain, committing to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive, as it would move Spain away from optimal spending and it would hinder the EU's ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defense ecosystem,' Sánchez wrote in the letter seen by The Associated Press. Spain was the lowest spender in the trans-Atlantic alliance last year, directing less than 2% of its GDP on defense expenditure. Sánchez said in April that the government would raise defense spending by 10.5 billion euros ($12 billion) in 2025 to reach NATO's previous target of 2% of GDP. On Thursday, Sánchez called for 'a more flexible formula' in relation to a new spending target — one that either made it optional or left Spain out of its application. Sánchez wrote that the country is 'fully committed to NATO," but that meeting a 5% target 'would be incompatible with our welfare state and our world vision." He said that doing so would require cutting public services and scaling back other spending, including toward the green transition. Instead, Spain will need to spend 2.1% of GDP to meet the Spanish military's estimated defense needs, Sánchez said. At home, corruption scandals that have ensnared Sánchez's inner circle and family members have put the Spanish leader under increasing pressure to call an early election, even from some allies. Increased military spending is also unpopular among some of Sanchez's coalition partners. In April, when Sánchez announced that Spain would reach NATO's previous 2% spending target, the move angered some coalition members further to the left of his Socialist Party. NATO allies agreed to spend 2% of GDP on military expenditure after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. But the alliance's plans for defending Europe and North America against a Russian attack require investments of at least 3%. The aim now is to raise the bar to 3.5% for core defense spending on tanks, warplanes, air defense, missiles and hiring extra troops. A further 1.5% would be spent on things like roads, bridges, ports and airfields so armies can deploy more quickly, as well as preparing societies for possible attack. Several allies have committed to reaching the new spending goal, even though other nations will struggle to find the billions required. Rutte had been due to table a new proposal on Friday aimed at satisfying Spain and trying to break the deadlock. European allies and Canada want to end the standoff before the leaders meet with Trump on Wednesday. Poland and the Baltic countries — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — have already publicly committed to 5%, and Rutte has said that most allies were ready to endorse the goal. But Spain isn't alone among NATO's low spenders. Belgium, Canada and Italy will also struggle to hike security spending by billions of dollars. A big question still to be answered is what time frame countries will be given to reach an agreed-upon new spending goal. A target date of 2032 was initially floated, but Rutte has said that Russia could be ready to launch an attack on NATO territory by 2030. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Can the UK Afford to Defend Itself Anymore?
At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit scheduled for later this month, alliance members are expected to adopt a new defense spending target totaling as much as 5% of each nation's gross domestic product, an historic acknowledgement that a new Cold War has arrived, and that a recalcitrant Donald Trump could one day leave Europe to the mercies of a revanchist Vladimir Putin. Indeed, NATO's sprint toward re-militarization comes after more than three years of Russian war that's claimed tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives. Unable to rely on America given Trump's expressions of warmth for Putin and coolness to allies, many European governments see shifting to a war-footing as arguably a matter of long-term survival. The short-term question, however, is how to pay for it. On this Bloomberg Originals mini-documentary, we explore this brutal conundrum as it is currently faced by one of NATO's key powers: the UK. In 2010, the UK had a relatively small military of about 100,000 personnel. In the 15 years since, that number has fallen by tens of thousands. The Labour government is now struggling to make up for decades of underinvestment. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to spend 2.6% of GDP on defense by 2027, which falls short of the 3.5% goal proposed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the soon-to-be 5% target. The British military is currently at its smallest size since the Napoleonic era, and reversing course would require sustained investment and major sacrifices. Given the delicate nature of the UK's finances and the bond markets, it may not even be possible.
The Hill
an hour ago
- Business
- The Hill
Spain asks for break on NATO contribution: Report
Leaders in Madrid urged NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to exempt them from a proposed defense spending goal set at 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) ahead of next week's summit at The Hague. 'Committing to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive, as it would move Spain further away from optimal spending and would hinder the EU's ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defence ecosystem,' Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote in a letter to Rutte, according to a copy reviewed by Reuters. 'It is the legitimate right of every government to decide whether or not they are willing to make those sacrifices. As a sovereign Ally, we choose not to,' he added. Spain currently has the lowest military spending among member nations, devoting 1.3 percent of its GDP to defense spending last year, according to reports from Politico EU. Member nations agreed to commit 2 percent of their GDP to defense spending in 2014, with the hope of ensuring NATO can sustain continued military readiness. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has sparked concerns about the possibility of a wider war involving Europe amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's push to obtain more land. However, Spain said the Kremlin poses no current threat to its borders but did not oppose heightened security for other NATO member nations. 'Of course, it is not our intention to limit the spending ambitions of other allies or to obstruct the outcome of the upcoming summit,' Sanchez wrote in the letter. Rutte has suggested that an increase in defense spending levels should ensure that 3.5 percent of GDP is allocated to military expenditures, while 1.5 percent is allocated for defense-related items, such as military mobility and cybersecurity, Politico EU reported. However, Sanchez said the policy would force Spain to purchase off-the-shelf equipment instead of cultivating its own industrial base as recorded in his letter. President Trump has encouraged Rutte's push for growth, citing a mounting concern for the United States' dominant support of the war in Ukraine, a non-member nation designated as a NATO partner country. Although his administration signed a minerals agreement with the country to recoup the financial commitment seeped in weapons packages and the purchase of military equipment, the president has urged other nations to help back the Eastern European ally. 'I didn't see Spain's comments, I'll make sure the president sees them and I can assure you he wants to see all European countries pay their fair share and meet that 5 percent threshold,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Thursday's press briefing. 'It's only fair considering the American taxpayers have given a significant chunk of money to the tune of billions of dollars to support our mutual interests and our assured defense.' The NATO summit is set to take place from June 24-25 and would require all 32 member nations to approve the increase in defense spending to solidify the objective. 'The NATO Summit is coming at a very precarious moment for the transatlantic relationship, marked by uncertainty about the US commitment to Europe, a relative stalemate in peace negotiations between Russia, and Ukraine and ongoing tensions over transatlantic trade,' Lauren Speranza, a fellow at the Center for European Progress said in a statement. 'As the first NATO summit of President Trump's second term, I do think The meeting will offer us some insight into how the administration will approach the Alliance going forward, following some of the previous criticisms we've heard of NATO and calls for Europe to do more to take greater responsibility for its own defense.'
