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Tag: NATO

  • “NATO prepares for potential military clash with Russia”

    “NATO prepares for potential military clash with Russia”

    NATO’s plans to rearm member states, boost military budgets, and reform its command structure are being shaped in preparation for a potential military clash with Russia, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.

    “If we look at NATO, we really see this. It is reflected not only in exercises, but also in strategies to re-equip armies, increase military budgets, reform the command structure, and create new commands.

    “All these military constructions are largely tailored to prepare for a military clash with Russia,” Grushko told RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the Forum of the Future 2050.

    Grushko added that NATO’s military posture toward Russia was a defining reality that shaped Moscow’s political and military relations with member states of the alliance.

    Russia has repeatedly criticised what it sees as NATO’s growing military presence near its western borders, accusing the alliance of using the narrative of a “Russian threat” to justify its eastward expansion.

    The Russian Foreign Ministry has emphasised that Moscow remained open to dialogue with NATO, but only on equal terms. It also urged Western countries to abandon their policy of militarising the continent.

  • EU agrees on €150bn loan fund for defense spending

    EU agrees on €150bn loan fund for defense spending

    The countries of the European Union (EU) have agreed to establish a loan fund worth 150 billion euros (169.5 billion dollars) to finance arms purchases, according to a report by The Financial Times on Monday, citing officials familiar with the decision.

    The fund will be backed by the national budgets of EU member states. While member countries had already expressed support for the initiative, the agreement is expected to be formally signed on Wednesday.

    On March 19, the European Commission unveiled a new defense strategy, initially called ReArm Europe, later renamed Readiness 2030, aiming to raise EU defense spending to 1.5 per cent of GDP.

    The strategy’s estimated cost is 800 billion euros over the next four years, with 650 billion euros to come from national budgets and the remaining 150 billion euros through loans.

    To support this plan, the European Commission would offer budgetary concessions to member states and reallocate some regional development funds toward defense spending.

    The move came amid rising tensions in Europe. Russia had consistently raised concerns about NATO’s growing military presence near its western borders, calling it a threat to regional stability. The Kremlin had stated that while Russia posed no threat to other nations, it would respond to actions it considered potentially dangerous to its security.

    In a 2024 interview with U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow had no intention of attacking NATO countries.

    He accused Western leaders of exaggerating the Russian threat to distract from domestic issues.

  • When chosen by war, you’ve no right to choose peace – By Owei Lakemfa

    When chosen by war, you’ve no right to choose peace – By Owei Lakemfa

    The New Year 2025 promises to be full of conflicts, most of them avoidable. The hottest spot might be in the Middle East where fierce proxy conflicts are going on with Israel at the centre. Only the naïve would think that the wars Israel has been involved are entirely fought by it, whereas that country is a proxy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO.

    It is backed by the war machine of the West mainly run by the United States, US, United Kingdom, UK and France. They provide Israel with intelligence, embedded soldiers, missiles and anti-missile shields, military hardware and, of course, funds. On August 13, 2024, the Department of State announced that the US alone had approved a $20 billion weapons package to Israel which includes advanced airto-air missiles and fighter jets.

    Those countries also have their warships on the side of Israel. Such warships include the American USS Wasp, USS New York and USS Oak Hill while the UK has its Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. On its part, France, has the Languedoc and Alsace warships in the area which can come to Israel’s aid as it did when Iranian missiles were fired at Israel. This is why Israel is enabled to carry out genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, and attacks in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iran.

    The new year may also reveal whether Iran has been seriously weakened by the loss of Syria to the terrorists and their founders in the West, the Israeli attacks against Hezbollah and Yemen. Whatever the case, Iran has its hypersonic missiles intact even as its nuclear programme progresses. Next to the conflict in the Middle East is the Russo-Ukrainian War which has witnessed the bombing of gas pipelines, introduction of higher grade missiles, the continued use of mercenaries from across the world and the reported introduction of North Korean troops.

    There is the senseless war in Sudan in which troops from the same armed forces, nationality, religion, language and culture are engaged in a siblings conflict. Its only parallel, in terms of stupidity, is the 36-year conflict in Somalia. Another that comes a bit close is the 13-year civil war in Libya ignited and controlled by NATO. In West Africa, the conflicts are mainly against terrorists and bandits with Nigeria being the main centre. Some of the countries, namely Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have entered into a military and economic alliance to fight the criminals.

    They have also expelled France which not only exploits the situation in those countries, but also plays a double game. Partly for these reasons, countries like Chad and Senegal have joined in expelling the French military, while, disturbingly, Nigeria is getting closer to the same France. The conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, which became complicated when the USA, UK and Belgium organised the ouster and execution of founding Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba on January 17, 1961, are still raging.

    The DRC’s main sin is that it has huge mineral resources. The low intensity combats in the Central African Republic, CAR, took ethnoreligious dimensions in 2013. It is still simmering. One country that has strenuously tried not to be involved in armed conflicts is China despite having territorial disputes with countries like Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. It has also refused to take the bait of the US to draw it into an economic war. China’s strength lies in this and advancing its economic interests and powers as is evident in the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, BRICS+ alliance.

    A unique country that has strenuously avoided war and has tried to be friends with all humanity is Cuba. Apart from the April 1960 Bay of Pigs Invasion in which it defeated mercenaries from the US, and its unique sacrifice in fighting the Apartheid armed forces to free Africa from colonialism, Cuba has, since its 1959 revolution, avoided war. The only unique wars it has fought in many countries have been against diseases and pandemics like Ebola and COVID-19.

    But the main challenge of Cuba is that the US treats it like a mortal enemy. Its primary sins include the fact that it is a mere 151 kilometres from the US city of Florida. Now, the US regards Cuba as its backyard and believes it must always control it. This, Cuba has heroically rejected, insisting on its sovereignty and freedom to run its own affairs. Secondly, Cuba in pre-revolutionary times was the playground of the US Mafia and the rich. The American elites have insisted on returning Cuba to that status.

    Thirdly, Cuba in carrying out its revolution and insisting on its maintenance, is seen by the US establishment as a bad example in the hemisphere which must not be allowed to stand. Fourthly, the US sees Cuba as an inspiration to revolutions across the world. Fifthly, it sees Cuba as being very dangerous because it is socialist and, an ally of radical governments across the world. So, since 1962, the US has tried to squelch tiny Cuba which is a mere 109,884 kilometres or the size of the US state of Tennessee.

    One of its main weapons against Cuba is to impose a blockage against it, stopping it from trading freely or running its business. On October 30, 2024 the United Nations General Assembly voted for the 32nd time that US ends its illegal 62- year economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba. The resolution, passed by 187-Member States, with only the US and Israel voting against, and Moldova abstaining, again reaffirmed the total support of the international community for the just struggle of the Cuban people and government.

    But as it has done since 1992, the US continues to ignore the rest of humanity. This Christmas week marking the birth of Jesus Christ, known as the Prince of Peace, the Cuban nation decided to march in its capital city, Havana, to demand that the US brigandage and injustice against the Cuban people must be brought to an end. The peace march led by Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel Bermudez and his successor, Raúl Castro Ruz, passed in front of the US embassy.

    During the march, President Bermudez said: “We do not profess the slightest feeling of hatred against the American people. To the noble citizens of that country, we offer our full respect, and our hand is always extended to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood between the two peoples…but if the US persists in its efforts to undermine our sovereignty, our independence, our socialism, they will only find rebellion and intransigence.” The US message to Cuba is clear: when chosen by war, you’ve no right to choose peace.

  • NATO starts nuclear weapon drills in Europe

    NATO starts nuclear weapon drills in Europe

    NATO has begun its annual military drills involving nuclear weapons, a spokesman for the Western defence alliance confirmed on Monday.

    Up to 60 aircraft would be involved in the `Steadfast Noon’ exercise, which lasts until Thursday next week.

    The craft involved include modern fighter jets, but also surveillance and tanker aircraft as well as long-range B-52 bombers.

    This year, the manoeuvres are taking place mainly in the airspace over Italy, Croatia and the Mediterranean.

    A total of 13 alliance members, including Germany, were taking part.

    NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said last week that Russia’s war against Ukraine was a reminder of the important role of nuclear weapons for deterrence.

    “Although it is a routine training exercise, “Steadfast Noon’’ will help to ensure the credibility, effectiveness and security of nuclear deterrence,” he said.

    NATO did not release any details about the exercise and the scenario that it involved.

    According to military experts, the manoeuvres are used to practice how to safely transport U.S. nuclear weapons on European soil from underground storage sites to the aircraft and mount them under the fighter jets.

    The training flights then took place without the bombs.

    NATO’s nuclear-sharing agreement provided for U.S. nuclear weapons to be stationed in Europe and to be dropped from aircraft of partner states in the event of an emergency.

    Although it has not been officially confirmed, U.S. nuclear weapons were known to be stored in northern Italy, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

  • No timetable set for Ukraine’s membership, says NATO chief

    No timetable set for Ukraine’s membership, says NATO chief

    NATO leaders said Tuesday that they would allow Ukraine to join the alliance “when allies agree and conditions are met,” hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted the organization’s failure to set a timetable for his country as “absurd.”

    “We reaffirmed Ukraine will become a member of NATO and agreed to remove the requirement for a membership action plan,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters, referring to a key step in joining the alliance.

    “This will change Ukraine’s membership path from a two-step path to a one-step path,” he said.

    Although many NATO members have funneled arms and ammunition to Zelensky’s forces, there is no consensus among the 31 allies for admitting Ukraine into NATO’s ranks. Instead, alliance leaders decided to remove obstacles on Ukraine’s membership path so that it can join more quickly once the war with Russia is over.

    Zelensky pushed back sharply against the decision.

    “It’s unprecedented and absurd when a time frame is set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership,” Zelensky tweeted as he headed to the annual NATO summit in Vilnius. “While at the same time, vague wording about ‘conditions’ is added even for inviting Ukraine. It seems there is no readiness to invite Ukraine to NATO or to make it a member of the Alliance.”

    NATO membership would afford Ukraine protection against a giant neighbor that annexed its Crimean Peninsula almost a decade ago and more recently seized vast swaths of land in the east and south. Joining NATO would also oblige Kyiv to reform its security institutions, improve governance and curb corruption, work that would also ease the country’s path into the European Union.

    Asked about Zelensky’s concerns, Stoltenberg said the most important thing now is to ensure that his country wins the war, because “unless Ukraine prevails there is no membership to be discussed at all.”

    The broadside from Zelensky could renew tensions at the summit shortly after it saw a burst of goodwill following an agreement by Turkiye to advance Sweden’s bid to join NATO. Allies hope to resolve the seesawing negotiations and create a clear plan for the alliance and its support for Ukraine.

    “We value our allies,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter, adding that “Ukraine also deserves respect.” He also said: “Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit.”

    Zelensky is expected to meet Wednesday with US President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders.

    There have been sharp divisions within the alliance over Ukraine’s desire to join NATO, which was promised back in 2008 even though few steps were taken toward that goal.

    In addition, the Baltic states — including Lithuania, which is hosting the summit — have pushed for a strong show of support and a clear pathway toward membership for Ukraine.

    However, the United States and Germany urged caution. Biden said last week that Ukraine was not ready to join. Members of NATO, he told CNN, need to “meet all the qualifications, from democratisation to a whole range of other issues,” a nod toward longstanding concerns about governance and corruption in Kyiv.

  • Russia-Ukraine conflict: NATO unity to be tested at annual summit in Lithuania

    Russia-Ukraine conflict: NATO unity to be tested at annual summit in Lithuania

    As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO’s much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

    The world’s biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member. Military spending by member nations still lags behind longstanding goals. And an inability to compromise over who should serve as NATO’s next leader forced an extension of the current secretary general’s term for an extra year.

    Perhaps most thorny are questions over how Ukraine should be eased into the alliance. Some maintain admitting Ukraine to NATO would be the fulfillment of a promise made years ago and a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others are fearful it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

    Bickering among friends is not uncommon, and the current catalogue of disputes pales in comparison to past fears that Donald Trump would turn his back on the alliance during his presidency. However, the challenges come at a moment when President Joe Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

    “Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance,” said Douglas Lute, who served as US ambassador to NATO under President Barack Obama.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

    “You don’t want to present any openings,” Lute said. “You don’t want to present any gaps or seams.”

    By some measures, the Ukraine conflict has reinvigorated NATO, which was created at the beginning of the Cold War as a bulwark against Moscow. Members of the alliance have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its ongoing counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become NATO’s 31st member.

    The US announced Friday it will provide Ukraine with the controversial cluster munitions. Such a bomb poses a higher risk of civilian harm as it opens in the air releasing smaller “bomblets” across a wide area, hitting multiple targets simultaneously. Ukraine has promised to use it carefully.

    In a statement on Saturday evening, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of Western Europe’s staunchest backers of Ukraine in the war, reiterated her country’s condemnation of the Russian aggression but called for the “universal application of the principles” of the international convention banning the production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions.

    UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “wants countries to abide by the terms of that convention and so as a result, of course, he does not want there to be continued use of cluster munitions on the battlefield.”

    But the ongoing war has allowed other challenges to fester or bubble to the surface.

    In particular, NATO leaders said back in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually become a member, but little action has been taken toward that goal. Putin occupied parts of the country in 2014 and then attempted to capture Kyiv in 2022, leading to the current war.

    “A gray zone is a green light for Putin,” said Daniel Fried, a former US ambassador to Poland, and now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

    The US and Germany insist that the focus should be on supplying weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine win the current conflict, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join NATO.

    However, countries on NATO’s Eastern flank, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, want firmer assurances on future membership.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for that as well. During a visit to Prague on Thursday, he said the “ideal” result of the Vilnius summit would be an invitation for his country to join the alliance.

    NATO could use the occasion to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the NATO-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

    Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle blocking Sweden’s attempts to join NATO alongside its neighbor Finland.

    Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkiye.

    Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkiye. However, a man burned a Qur’an outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Erdogan signaled that this would pose another obstacle. He equated “those who permitted the crime” to those who perpetrated it.

    Turkiye and the US are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Biden says that Sweden’s NATO membership has to be dealt with first.

    Sullivan said the US is confident that Sweden will join NATO “in the not-too-distant future,” but it’s unclear if the matter will be resolved during the summit.

  • Humans getting worn out like clothes – By Owei Lakemfa

    Humans getting worn out like clothes – By Owei Lakemfa

    THE world is changing at a Humans getting worn out like clothes dizzying pace. Two powerful blocs that can determine the future of humanity are rapidly solidifying. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, donning military fatigue, leading in the arms race with a mindset to conquer, is digging in to preserve the old world order.

    On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Finland, its newest recruit, took the salute at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels before Anthony Blinken, United States, US, Secretary of State who represented his country. The US is the Supreme Commander of the alliance.

    As Finnish President Sauli Niinisto engaged in a flag-raising ceremony to an uncertain future, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg mocked Russia, saying with little Finland joining, President Vladimir Putin has failed to “slam NATO’s door shut”.

    Indeed, the recruitment of Finland is likely to heighten tension between NATO and Russia as Finland shares a 1,340- kilometre border with the latter, effectively doubling the border stretch between the two antagonists. Russia sees Finland joining the alliance as a provocation and an attempt by NATO to encircle it; a main reason for its war in Ukraine.

    Finland was part of Russia from 1809 until its independence on December 6, 1917. Compared to Russia, Finland is but a fingerling; the former’s 16, 376,870 km landmass is over 48 times that of Finland with a 338,440 total landmass. Russia’s 143.4 million population is over 25 times Finland’s 5,601,347 population. Militarily, while Russia has 5,977 nuclear warheads, Finland has none. Its only nuclear plant is powered by Russian technology. Economically, Finland gets 60-70 per cent of its gas from Russia.

    There may be debates whether it made sense for Finland to join NATO, but what may not be debatable is that if there were to be an armed conflict between NATO and Russia, Finland will be a sitting duck.

    The second bloc firming up is the BRICS, the acronym for the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa coalition which wears the overall of a factory worker. It appears interested only in an economic alliance that would create a new world economic order free from dollar dictates.

    New countries have joined the BRICS, including Bangladesh and Uruguay and two American allies: Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Some other countries like Iran have lined up to join; but perhaps the most sensational is Saudi Arabia, one of America’s biggest allies. Yes, the same country which agreed its oil will only be priced in the American dollar which then became the only currency recognised by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC. This was what gave rise to the petrol dollar world and the dollar consolidating itself as the reserve currency of the world.

    Also, the US which accounts for 37 per cent of all world arms exports has perhaps its biggest customer in Saudi Arabia which buys up one-quarter of those arms.

    The US has, in return, shielded Saudi Arabia on issues of gross human rights violations, subjugation of women, the liberal use of the death penalty which includes beheading, elimination of perceived enemies and crimes against humanity such as the deliberate bombing of schools, hospitals and markets in Yemen. So, Saudi Arabia turning to BRICS is not just a major diplomatic shift, but also, a rethink of its international relations policies.

    Saudi Arabia stunned the world at the World Economic Summit in January 2023 when its Finance Minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, said: “There are no issues with discussing how we settle our trade arrangements, whether it is in the US dollar, whether it is the euro, whether it is the Saudi riyal”. He further clarified Saudi Arabia’s apparent new attitude to the dollar: “We enjoy a very strategic relationship with China and we enjoy that same strategic relationship with other nations, including the US, and we want to develop that with Europe and other countries who are willing and able to work with us.”

    A month earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a visit to the Gulf, had told Arab leaders that his country wants to buy oil and gas in its own yuan currency. China buys one quarter of Saudi oil.

    The US has often weaponised the dollar in its selective sanctions against countries. But it backfired when it did the same thing in sanctioning Russia over the war in Ukraine. Russia did not only break the sanction with the Ruble becoming the most enhanced currency in 2022, but some other countries decided to break with the dollar so if the US were to sanction them, the effects will not be devastating. With that, the race towards de-dollarisation was on.

    China and Brazil ditched the dollar by agreeing to trade in their own currencies, while India and Malaysia agreed to trade in the Indian rupee in addition to other currencies.

    In another surprise, France, a staunch ally of the US, closed a liquefied natural gas, LNG, trade with China, not in dollars, but in yuan! French President Emmanuel Macron perhaps in trying to reassure the US he is not shifting alliances, last Wednesday during a tour to Beijing, warned China not to supply arms to its Russian ally.

    This of course is a joke. China does not appear to have a choice in the matter as it is aware that if NATO is able to defeat Russia, it will be the next target. So for China, Russia surviving the NATO onslaught, is in its strategic national interest.

    The battles, of course, are being fought on various turfs such as US moving against China’s TikTok on the basis of security concerns; that its data collection can be used by China. Pray, what about the data collection by American companies like Apple and Snap? Are they not used by the US and its security services?

    Whatever forms or shapes a changing world takes, a likely clash between the Euro-American alliance spearheaded by NATO and a counter force represented by BRICS, would see the rest of the world either joining one of the sides, or being helpless spectators because we lack the balls to create an alternative force.

    Even as the universe appears to be changing rapidly, the world order of the poor and the rich; the developed countries with means, and the underdeveloped countries, are not changing . So it is a world in which rapid changes are taking place, but essentially things remain the same.

    When I was a 13-year-old at the Methodist Boys High School, MBHS, Lagos we read a book in Yoruba language which featured a conversation between a young man and an elder. The former said: “See how the world is changing!” The elder replied: “No, it is not the world that is changing; it is humans that are getting worn out like clothes.”

  • Russia sanctions will work, have patience – Lithuania PM

    Russia sanctions will work, have patience – Lithuania PM

    The European Union (EU) needs patience as it sanctions Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, as most measures will only have an impact in the medium and long terms.

    Lithuania’s prime minister, Ingrida Šimonytė, said in an interview at  the  Reuters NEXT conference on Thursday.

    “My message is, we need to have patience. Because there are no sanctions that can switch Russia off overnight. It is not possible, we should not look for this,’’ Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said.

    She said that  there was a broad agreement among NATO nembers not to pressure Ukraine to negotiate, and called on NATO to provide air defences to not only eastern NATO members but also to Ukraine.

    She pointed to the missile explosion in Poland in November that  killed two people.

     Poland and other Western states have said the missile was a Ukrainian air defence missile that went astray in pursuit of a Russian missile.

    “The better air defence system Ukraine has the less probability of incidents like that might happen. It is important not only for NATO to provide a decent (air) defence system, but also provide Ukraine with a decent (air) defence system,’’ she said.

    Lithuania will host a NATO summit in 2023 which Simonyte expects to be dominated by Ukraine but also by the decision of Sweden and Finland to join the Western defence alliance.

    She refused to comment on reports she is angling to lead the NATO alliance after the current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg,  would have stepped  down in September 2023.

    Lithuania and the other Baltic States of Latvia and Estonia, once ruled from Moscow but now part of both NATO and EU, were better prepared to withstand a Russian attack since the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, she said.

    However, Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s choice to invade Ukraine has given rise to fears he might do same in the Baltics, she said.

    “It is hard to say there is a thing he would not do,’’ Simonyte said.

    Since the invasion, NATO has named Russia a persistant threat, nearby Sweden and Finland have applied to join the alliance and  NATO’s  presence in the Baltics has increased.

    Adding to the jitters, neighbouring Belarus had deepened its close relationship with Russia and is now fully dependent, Simonyte said.

    “This looks more like a province than a sovereign country. There is a decent question, how self-sufficient is (Belarus President Alexander) Lukashenko in decisions he is making,’’ she said.

    The Belarus military did not take part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Russian troops used Belarus territory for their offensive,  she added.

  • NATO vows more help for Ukraine as Russia attacks on multiple fronts

    NATO vows more help for Ukraine as Russia attacks on multiple fronts

    Allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) promised more arms and equipment for Ukraine to help restore power supplies cut by Russian strikes.

    This is coming as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his forces were defending against attempted Russian advances in multiple regions.

    Ukraine’s General Staff said on Wednesday its forces had repelled six Russian attacks in the past 24 hours in the eastern Donbas region, while Russian artillery had relentlessly shelled the right bank of the Dnipro River and Kherson city further south.

    Ukrainians on Tuesday fled for bomb shelters after air-raid warning sirens, although the all-clear later sounded across the country. In the eastern Donetsk region, Russian forces pounded Ukrainian targets with artillery, mortar, and tank fire.

    Zelenskiy said the Russian military was also attacking Luhansk in the east and Kharkiv in the northeast, the latter an area Ukraine recaptured in September.

    “The situation at the front is difficult,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

    “Despite extremely large losses, the occupiers are still trying to advance” in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv. And “they are planning something in the south,” he said.

    Ukraine regained control of Kherson in the south this month after Russian forces retreated. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

    Foreign ministers from the NATO alliance, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, began a two-day meeting in Bucharest on Tuesday, seeking ways both to keep Ukrainians safe and warm and to sustain Kyiv’s military through a coming winter campaign.

    “We need air defence, IRIS, Hawks, Patriots, and we need transformers (for our energy needs),” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters on the sidelines of the NATO meeting, enumerating various Western air defence systems.

    “In a nutshell: Patriots and transformers are what Ukraine needs the most.”

    Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned NATO against providing Ukraine with Patriot missile defence systems and denounced the Atlantic alliance as a “criminal entity” for delivering arms to what he called “Ukrainian fanatics.”

    NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “trying to use winter as a weapon of war” as Moscow’s forces lose ground on the battlefield.

    U.S. and European officials said ministers would focus in their talks on non-lethal aid such as fuel, medical supplies and winter equipment, as well as on military assistance. Washington said it would provide 53 million dollars to buy power grid equipment.

    U.S. President Joe Biden said providing more military assistance for Ukraine was a priority, but Republicans, who take control of Congress’ House of Representatives in January, have talked about pausing the funding, which has surpassed 18 billion dollars.

    Russia has launched huge attacks on Ukraine’s electricity transmission and heating infrastructure since October, in what Kyiv and its allies say is a deliberate campaign to harm civilians, a war crime.

    In Kyiv, snow fell and temperatures were hovering around freezing as millions in and around the capital struggled to heat their homes.

    An official with the power company said on Facebook that 985,500 customers in Kyiv were without power, and another electricity provider said the city would have emergency power cuts on Wednesday.

    In a brief posting on Telegram, Kherson region Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said on Tuesday electricity had been restored to half of the city of Kherson.

    Ukrainian forces struck a power plant in Russia’s Kursk region on Tuesday, causing some electricity outages, Roman Starovoyt, the governor of the region, said on the Telegram messaging app.

    Early on Wednesday, a large oil storage tank was on fire in Russia’s Bryansk region bordering Ukraine’s northeast, a local governor said. There were no reported casualties, he added, without commenting on the cause of the blaze.

    Moscow says hurting civilians is not its aim but that their suffering will end only if Kyiv accepts its demands, which it has not spelt out.

    Although Kyiv says it shoots down most of the incoming missiles, the damage has been accumulating and the impact growing more severe with each strike.

    A senior U.S. military official said on Tuesday that Russia was firing unarmed cruise missiles that were designed to carry nuclear warheads at targets in Ukraine to try to deplete Kyiv’s stocks of air defences.

    The worst barrage so far was on Nov. 23. It left millions of Ukrainians shivering in cold and darkness. Zelenskiy told Ukrainians at the start of this week to expect another soon that would be at least as damaging.

    There are no political talks to end the war. Moscow has annexed Ukrainian territory which it says it will never relinquish; Ukraine says it will fight until it recovers all occupied land.

  • NATO, US set to investigate Russian missile in Poland

    NATO, US set to investigate Russian missile in Poland

    The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has promised to investigate the missile strike on a village in the eastern part of Poland, killing two persons.

    Report say that strike appeared like a “Russian-made missile” but the investigation is meant to  unravel who fired it on a NATO ally.

    NATO will be having an emergency meeting any time from now to hold an emergency meeting.

    According to the  Polish foreign ministry, the weapon fell on Przewodow, about six kilometres (3-1/2 miles) from the border with Ukraine, with the country convening a meeting of its national security council.

    “We do not have any conclusive evidence at the moment as to who launched this missile … it was most likely a Russian-made missile, but this is all still under investigation at the moment,” President Andrzej Duda told reporters.

    Duda said it was very likely that Poland would request consultations under Article 4 at a meeting of the NATO alliance at 08:00 GMT on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau summoned the Russian ambassador and “demanded immediate detailed explanations”, the foreign ministry said.

    Many global leaders are attending the Group of 20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali, and US President Joe Biden, who is in Bali, said he had already spoken on the phone with Duda.

    Biden told Duda that Washington has an “ironclad commitment to NATO” and will support Poland’s investigation, the White House said after the call.

    A group including Biden, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held an early morning discussion on the situation and loss of life. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was also in attendance although Japan is not a member of NATO.