Tag Archives: NATO

Reuters reports: German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Germany owes NATO and the United States “vast sums” of money for defense. “There is no debt account at NATO,” von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance’s target for members to spend 2 …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Saturday morning pressed Germany to to pay more money to NATO, one day after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington. “Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States …

Bloomberg reports: President Donald Trump will nominate Richard Grenell to be his ambassador to NATO, according to a White House official, a selection that would make the longtime loyalist and former U.S. spokesman at the United Nations the highest-ranking openly gay person to serve in the administration. Reached by phone on Wednesday, Grenell, 50, declined to comment. The White House …

The New York Times reports: Russia has secretly deployed a new cruise missile despite complaints from American officials that it violates a landmark arms control treaty that helped seal the end of the Cold War, administration officials say. The move presents a major challenge for President Trump, who has vowed to improve relations with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia …

Former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev has penned an essay for TIME Magazine. An excerpt: Today the nuclear threat once again seems real. Relations between the great powers have been going from bad to worse for several years now. The advocates for arms build-up and the military-industrial complex are rubbing their hands. We must break out of this situation. We need …

The New York Times reports: Donald J. Trump, on the eve of accepting the Republican nomination for president, said Wednesday that if he were elected, he would not pressure Turkey or other authoritarian allies about conducting purges of their political adversaries or cracking down on civil liberties. The United States, he said, has to “fix our own mess” before trying …

From the Associated Press: Forces loyal to Turkey’s president quashed a coup attempt in a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left dozens dead Saturday. Authorities arrested thousands of people as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed those responsible “will pay a heavy price for their treason.” The chaos capped a period of political turmoil in Turkey — a …

The Daily Beast reports: Turkish president Tayyip Erdoğan is reportedly seeking asylum in Europe, as a military coup continues in Turkey, U.S. military sources tell NBC News. Erdoğan’s presidential jet was allegedly denied landing rights at Istanbul’s airport, before heading out of the country. He was then denied asylum in Germany, according to NBC, before heading to London. The Daily …

Via the Washington Post: Three U.S. sailors were attacked in Istanbul by an angry mob on Wednesday, as a grew of about 20 nationalists threw objects at them, chased them and briefly threw a bag over one of their heads. The incident was publicized in a video online, and acknowledged by the U.S. Navy. The attack underscores the volatility in …