DefenceTalkStarting Monday, NATO partners, including the United States, kick off the 12-day maritime exercise “Neptune Strike ’22” in the Mediterranean Sea, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said during a briefing today. The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, along with it’s carrier strike group and air wing will be the Defense Department’s primary contribution […]https://www.defencetalk.com/neptune-strike-22-maritime-exercise-kicks-off-monday-in-mediterranean-77723/

DefenceTalkThe United States is worried that the arrival of Russian troops in Belarus for exercises could lead to a permanent presence that might introduce nuclear weapons into the country, a senior State Department official told reporters Tuesday. Russian military forces were moving into Belarus after Moscow-allied strongman Alexander Lukashenko announced Monday that the two countries […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-worries-russian-troop-arrival-could-lead-to-nuclear-weapons-in-belarus-77697/

DefenceTalkOver 2,000 Russia-led troops began withdrawing from Kazakhstan on Thursday after being deployed when peaceful protests over an energy price hike in the Central Asian country turned into unprecedented violence claiming dozens of lives. The decision to despatch peacekeepers was a first for the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), often touted by Russia as […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-led-troops-begin-pullback-from-kazakhstan-77674/

DefenceTalkNATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia on Monday of “severe costs” if it launches a further attack on Ukraine, saying he hoped crunch talks could chart a way towards a diplomatic solution. “We are working hard for a peaceful political path and we are ready to continue to work with Russia to try to find […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-chief-warns-russia-of-severe-costs-if-ukraine-attacked-77650/

DefenceTalkThe United States said Friday a diplomatic solution was possible with Russia but that it would not give in to its demands in talks next week, as NATO warned of real risks Moscow will invade Ukraine. Top Russian and US diplomats meet Monday in Geneva after Moscow amassed tens of thousands of troops on the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-nato-take-firm-line-ahead-of-russia-talks-on-ukraine-77644/

DefenceTalkNATO foreign ministers will hold an emergency videoconference on Friday to discuss Russia’s military build-up around Ukraine, after a raft of demands from Moscow, the alliance said. Tensions have soared in recent months as the West has warned that the Kremlin could be planning a full-scale invasion of its neighbor after massing some 100,000 troops […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-foreign-ministers-to-hold-emergency-talks-on-ukraine-77612/

DefenceTalkThe United States will impose “severe economic harm” on Russia and boost its military presence in Eastern Europe should Moscow invade Ukraine, the White House warned Monday, laying out the high stakes on the eve of talks between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Ahead of his virtual meeting with Putin, Biden also spoke with the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-vows-to-boost-military-presence-if-russia-attacks-ukraine-77554/

DefenceTalkNATO on Tuesday warned Moscow it would pay a high price if it launches an invasion of Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned the West not to cross the Kremlin’s “red lines”. Top diplomats from the US-led alliance met in Latvia’s capital Riga looking to deter a Russian incursion as fears have grown after […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-warns-russia-against-ukraine-aggression-77516/

DefenceTalkEU and NATO leaders on Sunday vowed to counter “hybrid threats” on visits to Lithuania and Latvia dominated by the Belarus migrant crisis and Russia’s military build-up near Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also repeated his call on Russia to “de-escalate” its military build-up on the border with Ukraine and warned of “consequences” if […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eu-nato-vow-action-against-hybrid-threats-on-baltic-visit-77503/

DefenceTalkOn the day that two Russian fighter jets suddenly scrambled to intercept a US bomber refueling mid-air near Crimea, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was visiting three Black Sea states. The high-profile trip for the normally low-key Pentagon chief demonstrated that aside from facing down Chinese military expansion in the Indo-Pacific, the administration of US […]