Bulgaria to Skip NATO's Poseidon Naval Drills As Sailors Get COVID-19 - Tasnim News Agency

(Tasnim) – Bulgaria will not participate in NATO's Poseidon 2021 drills in the Black Sea due to its navy servicemen having contracted the coronavirus, Rear Adm. Mihai Panait, the navy chief of Romania, which hosts the drills, said on Saturday.

EU leaders pledge to enhance autonomous defense capabilities - China.org.cn

Leaders of the European Union (EU) member states on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to increase the EU's capacity to act autonomously in the context of their strategic debate on European security and defense policy, as well as the need for the bloc to take more responsibility for its security.

Russia Calls on US to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons Sites Abroad, Says They Violate NPT - FARS

(FNA)- The United States must bring its nuclear weapons home and dismantle infrastructure for their deployment abroad, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

State of the Union: gli Stati Uniti credono di nuovo nella NATO

 

--

Defense spending by NATO essential to counteract Russia’s challenges - Pentagon - TASS

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has stated at a videoconference of the NATO Defense Ministerial that members of the alliance need to maintain spending on defense to address challenges on the part of Russia, the Pentagon’s press service reported on Wednesday.

US State Dept in Response to Turkish Allegations Says US Had No Role in 2016 Attempted Coup - Sputnik International

The US Department of State has rejected high-ranking Turkish officials' accusations of Washington's involvement in the coup attempt in 2016 and believes that such statements contradict the allied relations between the two countries.

Growing Military Activity In Arctic Could Throw World Back To Cold War - Russian Diplomat - UrduPoint

The increasing military activity and the weakening of confidence-building measures in the Arctic can throw the world several decades back, to a Cold War-like situation, Russian Foreign Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large Nikolay Korchunov said in an interview with Sputnik.

Increased NATO Activity near Russian Borders May Lead to ‘Serious Incident’: Moscow - Tasnim News Agency

Moscow warned that increasing Western military activity near Russian borders may ultimately have dangerous consequences.

NATO head urges EU to take 'positive approach' towards Turkey - AA

Ahead of a key EU leaders’ summit, the head of NATO on Dec. 10 urged EU countries not to forget Turkey's importance to the alliance and the West and to seek out “positive approaches.”

Belarusian President Says He's Concerned Over Growing US, NATO Military Presence Near CSTO's Borders - Sputnik International

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday expressed concerns over the growing US and NATO military presence near the western borders of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

NATO's Stoltenberg Warns of Risks Posed by US Military's Early Withdrawal From Afghanistan - Sputnik International

The early or uncoordinated withdrawal of US troops poses a serious risk to Afghanistan's stability and could lead to the resurgence of terrorist groups, such as Daesh*, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's secretary general, said in a statement to the CNN broadcaster on Tuesday.

Turkey Continuing to Check, Prepare Russian-Made S-400s for Deployment - Tasnim News Agency

The Turkish military is checking the S-400 air defense systems and preparing them for deployment, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated on Saturday.

US issues more threats to NATO ally Turkey after Erdogan confirms tests of Russian-made S-400 systems — RT World News

 Turkey’s tests of its Russian-made S-400 air defense systems violate Ankara’s commitment to NATO and may hamper its security relations with the US, the Pentagon has said, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the drills.

Alexander Lukashenko Warns Belarus ‘Will Die as a State’ If It Agrees to Hold New Elections

On Saturday, the Belarusian president ordered an air assault brigade to be transferred from Vitebsk region in the country's northeast to Grodno region near Belarus's borders with Poland and Lithuania after expressing concerns about increasing military activity in those two NATO nations.

Germany Will Make Sovereign Decision on Military Spending, Maas Says

Germany’s foreign minister rejected suggestions that Berlin could be browbeaten by US President Donald Trump into hiking military spending, saying that his country would make its own “sovereign” decisions.

Ballistic missile threat from Syria : NATO vows to protect Turkey's southern border

We continue to monitor and assess the ballistic missile threat from Syria...

Trump to NATO allies: Raise military spending to 4 percent of GDP

US President Donald Trump has told NATO countries to increase their defence spending to four percent of their gross domestic product, higher than the group's goal of two percent, a White House official said on Wednesday.

Colombia becomes NATO's first LatAm global partner

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday made official, together with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, his country's cooperation agreement as a "global partner" of the alliance, thus becoming the first Latin American nation to attain that "status."

Turkey Threatens to Deny US Access to Incirlik Base

 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that Ankara may close Incirlik air base for Washington.
"There are no reasons why the US will not supply F-35s to us. We do not want to spoil relations with our US ally," Cavusoglu said, as quoted by the NTV broadcaster.

Poland offers $2bn for permanent US base, Moscow warns of ‘dangerous’ consequences

Poland is reportedly willing to pay $2bn for permanent presence of US troops in the country. Moscow called the initiative “dangerous”, saying it won’t benefit European security.