DefenceTalkRussia said Wednesday its forces destroyed a depot containing NATO-supplied arms in western Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies to speed up arms deliveries to his country. “Near the town of Zolochiv in Lviv region, high-precision long-range Kalibr missiles destroyed an ammunition depot of foreign weapons transferred to Ukraine by NATO countries, including […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-says-destroyed-nato-arms-depot-in-western-ukraine-78973/

DefenceTalkJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday he will attend this month’s NATO summit in Madrid, becoming the country’s first leader to join a top meeting of the transatlantic alliance. The June 28-30 gathering is seen as a crunch moment for the 30 North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, four months into Russia’s war in Ukraine. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-to-attend-nato-summit-for-first-time-78967/

DefenceTalkTurkey said on Wednesday that it was waiting for a “written response” from Sweden and Finland to Ankara’s objections to their NATO bids. “We have transmitted our questions in writing to these two countries,” Turkey Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters. “Now we’re waiting for their written responses,” he said. The two Nordic countries reversed […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-written-response-finland-sweden-over-nato-78964/

DefenceTalkNine Central and Eastern European countries on Friday asked NATO to strengthen its eastern flank following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The meeting of the leaders of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia was held in the Romanian capital Bucharest less than three weeks ahead of a NATO summit meeting […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nine-european-countries-urge-nato-to-beef-up-eastern-flank-78949/

DefenceTalkTurkey’s blockage of Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO membership bids may not be resolved in time for the alliance’s summit later this month, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday. He said NATO was “working hard” to resolve “legitimate” issues raised by Turkey. Stoltenberg had previously insisted that the two nations would be welcomed “with open arms,” […]https://www.defencetalk.com/stalled-finnish-swedish-nato-bids-may-drag-on-nato-chief-78961/

DefenceTalkWestern nations need to brace for a long “war of attrition” in Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Thursday following White House talks with US President Joe Biden. “We just have to be prepared for the long haul,” the secretary general told reporters. “Because what we see is that this war has now become a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/west-must-brace-for-long-haul-in-ukraine-nato-chief-78882/

DefenceTalkGermany’s government and conservative opposition have agreed a deal that will release 100 billion euros ($107 billion) to modernize the army in the face of the Russian threat. An agreement was reached late Sunday to create a special fund for military procurement that will also allow Berlin to achieve NATO’s target of spending two percent […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-agrees-107-bn-fund-to-modernize-military-in-face-of-russia-threat-78844/

DefenceTalkSweden hopes to strike a compromise with Turkey to seal its NATO membership bid, but fears are mounting in the Scandinavian country that the government may sacrifice too much to get what it wants. “If you want to sell everything for NATO membership, then go ahead but I think it’s awful”, blasted Amineh Kakabaveh, a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/as-sweden-woos-turkey-fears-mount-over-what-it-will-cede-78838/

DefenceTalkTurkey on Wednesday said the NATO accession process for Sweden and Finland would not move forward unless they addressed Ankara’s security concerns, in talks with delegations from both Nordic states. “We conveyed our message in very clear terms that the process will not move forward unless Turkey’s security concerns are addressed through concrete steps and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-threatens-to-stall-nato-process-if-nordic-nations-fail-to-act-78823/

DefenceTalkRussian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday that Moscow would create new military bases in western Russia in response to the expansion of NATO. “By the end of the year, 12 military units and divisions will be established in the Western Military District,” Shoigu said at a meeting in televised remarks. The army expects […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-russian-military-bases-response-to-nato-expansion-78817/