DefenceTalkTurkey Saturday warned against “provocative acts” ahead of talks between Russia and the United States next week to quell tensions over Russia’s military buildup on the Ukrainian border. NATO, of which Turkey is a member, has warned of real risks that Russia will invade Ukraine after Moscow amassed tens of thousands of troops on the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-urges-against-provocative-acts-before-us-russia-talks-77647/

DefenceTalkJapan moved ahead with an expansion of support to US troops as the allies held top-level talks on Friday over tensions with China and North Korea. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the two nations were signing a five-year extension of the support package provided by Japan for the hosting of around 50,000 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-extends-us-military-support-amid-china-north-korea-challenges-77639/

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/

DefenceTalkFighting between armed groups aligned with government and opposition forces in South Sudan this year subjected civilians to “unimaginable violence” that could amount to war crimes, Amnesty International said Thursday. The rights watchdog documented fighters on all sides indiscriminately murdering and mutilating civilians and razing entire villages during an upsurge in fighting between June and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/south-sudan-violence-could-amount-to-war-crimes-amnesty-77561/

DefenceTalkChina said Monday it will take “countermeasures” if the United States called for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, hours after unconfirmed reports that the Biden administration could announce such a move this week. CNN and NBC cited unnamed sources Sunday as saying the diplomatic boycott — meaning no US government officials would […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-threatens-countermeasures-if-us-boycotts-olympics-77551/

DefenceTalkUS Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday that recent extensive Chinese military operations near Taiwan resembled “rehearsals” and he reaffirmed Washington’s strong support for Taipei. President Joe Biden’s Pentagon chief said the United States remained committed to supporting “Taiwan’s ability to defend itself.” In a speech devoted largely to an array of challenges posed by […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-chief-says-china-ops-near-taiwan-resemble-rehearsals-77544/

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/

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 […]

DefenceTalkThe United States would defend Taiwan if the island were attacked by China, President Joe Biden said Thursday, a declaration welcomed by the democratic island that risks fury from Beijing. Authoritarian China regards self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if needed. Beijing’s saber-rattling has […]

DefenceTalkChinese fighter jets crowding Taiwan’s radar screens are Beijing’s latest tool to ramp up pressure on the democratic island, sparking fears that one mistake could suddenly turn a festering cold conflict into an all-out war. Self-ruled Taiwan has lived under the threat of a Chinese invasion since the two sides split at the end of […]