DefenceTalkPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that Turkey could launch a ground operation in Syria, following deadly strikes by Ankara and Kurdish militants in northern Syria. “There is no question that this operation be limited to only an aerial operation,” Erdogan told reporters as he returned to Turkey from Qatar. “Competent authorities, our defence […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-could-launch-ground-operation-in-syria-erdogan-79623/

DefenceTalkHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called EU sanctions against Russia “a step towards war” on Friday, describing the bloc’s Russia policy as dangerous. Orban has sought to take a neutral position since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, refusing to send Kyiv military aid and opposing an 18-billion-euro EU support package for Ukraine. Although Budapest didn’t […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eus-russia-sanctions-a-step-towards-war-hungary-pm-79619/

DefenceTalkThe US military must be ready to respond to a potential invasion of Taiwan as soon as this year, a senior admiral said Wednesday, signaling heightened alarm over Beijing’s intentions towards the island. Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of US naval operations, is the latest senior official in Washington to raise concerns that China’s President Xi […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-must-prepare-now-for-china-invasion-of-taiwan-admiral-79533/

DefenceTalkPresident Xi Jinping on Sunday vowed China would “never commit to abandoning the use of force” when it comes to the issue of Taiwan, in a speech marking the beginning of the Communist Party Congress in Beijing. “Resolving the Taiwan issue is a matter for Chinese people themselves, and must be resolved by Chinese people […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-will-never-commit-to-abandoning-the-use-of-force-on-taiwan-xi-79518/

DefenceTalkThe United States will help Taiwan “develop the capability to defend itself” from a Chinese invasion, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday, stopping short of President Joe Biden’s vow to send troops to the island. “We’re committed to helping Taiwan develop the capability to defend itself,” Austin said in an interview with CNN. Washington […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-defense-chief-vows-to-help-taiwan-defend-itself-79460/

DefenceTalkIsrael on Sunday praised a US proposal to resolve the country’s maritime border dispute with Lebanon, building further momentum towards an agreement between two nations still technically at war. The draft agreement floated by US envoy Amos Hochstein aims to settle competing claims over offshore gas fields and was delivered to Lebanese and Israeli officials […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-praises-us-proposal-for-lebanon-maritime-border-deal-79463/

DefenceTalkBritish Prime Minister Liz Truss vowed Wednesday before the United Nations to keep up military aid to war-ravaged Ukraine until it triumphs against Russia. Truss became the latest Western leader at the UN General Assembly in New York to rail against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hours earlier mobilized reservists in a clear sign he […]https://www.defencetalk.com/truss-at-un-vows-uk-military-aid-until-ukraine-prevails-79428/

DefenceTalkEthiopia’s northern region of Tigray was hit by an air strike on Tuesday, local officials said, two days after rebel authorities there said they were ready for a ceasefire. The reported drone strike on the regional capital Mekele left at least one person injured, said Kibrom Gebreselassie, a senior official at Ayder Referral Hospital, the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/air-strike-on-ethiopias-tigray-rebels-hospital-79397/

DefenceTalkWith Ukraine dependent on Western military aid following Russia’s invasion and Moscow burning through stocks and under sanctions, both sides fear exhausting their shells, bombs and missiles, experts say. Moscow’s economic exclusion means it is “having to buy artillery rounds from North Korea”, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters recently, pointing to deals for “millions […]https://www.defencetalk.com/both-sides-in-ukraine-war-face-ammunition-squeeze-79369/

DefenceTalkFighting between rival Iraqi forces raged for a second day Tuesday with rocket fire echoing from Baghdad’s Green Zone where 23 supporters of powerful Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr have been shot dead, medics said. Tensions have soared in Iraq amid a political crisis that has left the country without a new government, prime minister or […]https://www.defencetalk.com/fighting-in-iraqi-capital-leaves-23-dead-79256/