BRUSSELS (AP) — Foreign ministers from NATO countries were expected to invite Montenegro to join the military alliance despite Russia’s objection to the move, diplomats said, the latest sign of discord between the West and Moscow even as they both battle the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. Montenegro’s accession was one of several … Continue reading
BRUSSELS (AP) â The United States and its NATO allies struggled Tuesday to come up with a clear message to send Russia at a time of conflicting concerns in Europe and the Middle East. While the West remains alarmed by Moscow’s aggressive action in Ukraine and go-it-alone military efforts in Syria, they say they need Russian help … Continue reading
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s state-run news agency says Turkey has ended negotiations with China on building a missile defense system. The Anadolu Agency, citing unnamed officials, said Sunday that Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu decided to abandon the missile tender over the possibility that Turkey may construct its own “national” defense system. The deal with … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — Details of a new Russian submarine-launched nuclear torpedo have been shown on state-controlled TV, a secret the Kremlin said should never have been aired. Some observers, however, saw it as a deliberate leak. The airing of the video on television channels under tight Kremlin control raised suspicions that it was done intentionally … Continue reading
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Clashes intensified Thursday between Syrian troops and insurgents in central and northwestern Syria, part of what a top general called a “wide-ranging” offensive aided by Russian airstrikes and apparently aimed at clearing positions near government strongholds on the coast. U.S. defense officials said as many as four of the 26 long-range … Continue reading
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Fighter jets roaring overhead, NATO on Thursday inaugurated a military center in the Lithuanian capital amid growing concerns in the Baltic countries over Russia’s military presence. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who joined Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite for the opening ceremony, described the new unit as a “big step forward toward greater … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush is warning Russia that if he becomes president, the U.S. will do more to tamp down Vladimir Putin’s aggression, especially in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, and to “isolate his corrupt leadership from his people.” But Bush did little to tip his hand on what those steps … Continue reading
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (AP) — When the Taliban descended a month ago on Dam Shakh, a hamlet on the wheat-growing plains of northern Afghanistan’s Kunduz province, nobody was prepared. “They turned up suddenly and took us completely by surprise,” said resident Ghulam Sakhi of the night of April 24 when hundreds of Taliban militants launched … Continue reading
BRUSSELS (AP) — Despite stern talk and solemn pledges from NATO, a British-based think tank says some alliance member nations are cutting their spending on defense. In a report released Thursday, the European Leadership Network said Britain, Bulgaria,Canada, Germany, Hungary and Italy are all on track to reduce military expenditures in 2015. In France, … Continue reading
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Troops and vehicles from U.S. and NATO regiments have taken part in a military parade during Estonia’s Independence Day near the Russian border, in the first known official appearance of the forces so close to the former Cold War enemy. Some 1,400 Estonian and multinational troops participated in the Tuesday … Continue reading
BRUSSELS (AP) — With NATO officials calling Russia more unpredictable now than during the Cold War, alliance defense ministers on Thursday are expected to approve further measures to enhance the organization’s ability to deter and, if necessary, respond to military threats from Moscow, officials said. Adam Thomson, Britain’s permanent representative to NATO, predicted “an … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 