Daily Archives: June 20, 2024

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) said it would invest in four European tech companies.

Investment in Europes defence technology is intensifying after NATO on Tuesday confirmed its first deep tech investments as part of a 1 billion fund that aims to address todays defence, security and resilience challenges.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation announced the fund in 2022, following Russias invasion of Ukraine. The NATO Innovation Fund matches government buyers of technologies with start-ups to develop defence technologies.

The first companies to receive the investment are European and include Germanys ARX Robotics, which designs unmanned robots and three start-ups in the United Kingdom.

London-based computer chipmaker company Fractile also received funds as well as Bristol-based iComat and the Welsh start-up Space Forge, which makes novel space materials.

The fund has also invested in four venture capital funds that focus on deep tech: Join Capital, Vsquared Ventures, OTB Ventures and Alpine Space Ventures. Unlike most VCs, which invest over 10 years, NATOs fund will invest over 15 years.

NATO said it is also making investments to boost deep tech hubs in regions where capital for early-stage startups is in high demand to promote the Alliances technological sovereignty.

With these investments, the Fund is now starting to make a tangible difference in our innovation ecosystems, providing growth opportunities to the most promising dual-use and defence companies developing solutions to maintain the Alliances technological edge, David van Weel, Assistant Secretary-General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber, said in a statement.

Van Weel told Euronews Next in 2022 that NATOs main challenge is bridging the communication gap with innovators as the military is not always aware of the latest defence technologies and a lot of innovators do not know what the military requires.

The other issue is that defence organisations and governments, in general, are not famous for having fast procurement processes, he said.

Our challenge is really to make sure that we have a workable, agile way of communicating with innovators and bringing in new technologies at a speed of relevance, he added.

The fund aims to help advance innovation in new materials and manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics.

NATO said it is also making investments to develop deep tech hubs in regions where

capital for early-stage startups is in high demand to promote the Alliances technological sovereignty.

The NATO Innovation Fund is backed by 24 of NATO's 32 member states. The United States, Canada and France are members that have not agreed to support it.

See the article here:
NATO begins its 1 billion investment in AI, space and robotics - Euronews

STORY: :: Ottawa, Canada

:: June 19, 2024

:: NATO's chief says Russia and North Korea's new

pact shows authoritarian powers are aligning

:: Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General

:: "We need to be aware of that authoritarian powers are aligning more and more and they are supporting each other in a way that we haven't seen before."

"We see that also, of course, in the war in Ukraine. North Korea has provided an enormous amount of ammunition."

TRIM

"So, of course, in return, Russia is giving something to North Korea. We are very deeply concerned about the possibility of also Russia now providing support for their nuclear and missile programs."

"So, again, the answer is that when they are more and more aligned - authoritarian regimes like North Korea, China, Iran, Russia- then it's even more important that we are aligned as countries believing in freedom and democracy. So NATO is in that way even more important now than before."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said North Korea had provided "an enormous amount of ammunition" to Russia while both China and Iran were supporting Moscow militarily in its war against Ukraine.

Read more:
NATO chief: authoritarian powers aligning 'more and more' - Yahoo! Voices

"We agreed that no Hungarian personnel will take part in the activities of NATO in Ukraine and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them," Orbn said today on X, adding: "In light of his pledge, Hungary is ready to support PM Ruttes bid for NATO Secretary-General."

Slovakia, another holdout against backing Rutte, also indicated it may back him. Like Hungary, Slovakia's new government leans toward Moscow and has said it will not send weapons to help Ukraine.

"After consultations with both candidates and after consultations with Prime Minister Robert Fico and the Slovak government, the Slovak Republic can imagine supporting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the head of the alliance," Slovak President Peter Pellegrini told a televised news briefing today.

Pellegrini added that he had talked to Rutte about NATO helping protect Slovakia's airspace until it beefs up its own capabilities.

Those moves leave Romania whose President Klaus Iohannis is running against Rutte as the sole NATO ally not yet backing the Dutch PM. The new alliance chief has to get the support of all 32 members.

Read the original here:
Hungary and Slovakia back Dutch PM Rutte as NATO's next chief - POLITICO Europe

In his recent interview with TIME magazine, US President Joe Biden indicated that his skepticism about Ukrainian NATO membership is deep-rooted and goes far beyond any practical opposition to granting Kyiv an invitation to join the alliance while the current war with Russia is still ongoing. It would seem that President Biden does not regard Ukrainian NATO membership as a prerequisite for lasting peace in the region.

Unsurprisingly, the view in wartime Kyiv is strikingly different. Record numbers of Ukrainians now support NATO membership, which is widely seen as the best way to preserve the countrys sovereignty and prevent any future invasions. Crucially, many Ukrainians are also convinced that their countrys NATO accession would be in the national interests of the United States as well as Ukraine itself.

There are a number of reasons to believe Ukrainian NATO accession would also be beneficial for the US. These range from military practicalities to potential strategic advantages and geopolitical gains.

First, the United States has an obvious and immediate interest in ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as this would allow the US to focus on other pressing domestic and foreign policy priorities. But it is equally clear that the war unleashed by Vladimir Putin in February 2022 will never truly end as long as the issue of Ukraines NATO membership remains undecided.

Second, the apparent reluctance of the United States to make a clear commitment regarding future Ukrainian NATO membership sends a dangerous signal to Putin. It encourages him to believe his policy of invading and occupying neighboring countries to prevent them from joining NATO is successful and should be continued.

Third, Ukrainian NATO membership is the best way to protect the considerable US investment in Ukrainian security. The United States has invested tens of billions of dollars in security assistance since Russias full-scale invasion began more than two years ago. This investment can only be regarded as successful if Ukraine is secure from further Russian attack. At this stage, the only credible way to guarantee Ukrainian security is by providing the country with a road map to NATO membership.

Some critics of military aid to Ukraine have complained about so-called blank checks in support of the Ukrainian war effort. While this characterization of aid is misleading, it is worth underlining that NATO accession would likely be a far more economical way of safeguarding Ukraines future security than the regular financial support packages the countrys partners currently provide.

Fourth, as a NATO member, Ukraine would be a considerable asset. The Ukrainian military is large, combat-hardened, highly skilled, and boasts unrivaled experience in the realities of modern warfare. In other words, Ukraines army is ideally suited to become the core of NATOs eastern flank. This would significantly enhance European security while reducing the current military burden on the United States, potentially freeing up US forces for deployment elsewhere.

Lastly, Russias imperial ambitions did not begin with Vladimir Putin and do not end in Ukraine. Nevertheless, inviting Ukraine to join NATO would represent a powerful blow to the imperial identity cherished by many ordinary Russians and members of the Kremlin elite. Indeed, granting Ukraine membership of the alliance is perhaps the only way to fully convince Russian society that neither the Soviet Union nor the Russian Empire will ever be restored in any form. This would represent a huge gain for the US and for the future of international security.

Alyona Getmanchuk is the founder and director of New Europe Center and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Eurasias Center.

The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

Image: Ukrainian servicemen walk down the road with a US Stinger air defence missile launcher on the front line in Zaporizhzhia region. The U.S. Department of Defense has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine. This Presidential Drawdown Authority package has an estimated value of $225 million. The latest defense package will provide Ukraine with additional capabilities to meet its most urgent battlefield needs, such as air defense interceptors; artillery systems and munitions; armored vehicles; and anti-tank weapons. (Andriy Andriyenko / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect)

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The view from Kyiv: Why Ukrainian NATO membership is in US interests - Atlantic Council

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Ukraine has to win the war with Russia before becoming a NATO member, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a briefing on June 17.

His statement came a few days after Kyiv and Washington signed a 10-year bilateral security deal at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy, recognized as a "bridge to Ukraine's eventual membership in NATO."

"(U.S.) President (Joe Biden) believes firmly that NATO is in Ukraine's future at some point," Kirby said.

In his recent remarks, Biden said that peace in Ukraine means a guarantee that Russia will never occupy the country again, "and it doesn't mean NATO (membership)."

"It means we have a relationship with them like we do with other countries, where we supply weapons so they can defend themselves in the future," Biden added.

There are a lot of things to complete before Ukraine can join the alliance, Kirby said.

"First, they got to win this war. We are doing everything we can to make sure they can do that," he said.

"When the war is over, no matter what it looks like, they still have a long border with Russia and a legitimate security threat to the Ukrainian people."

That is why Biden signed an agreement with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to ensure that Kyiv will have what it needs to defend the country for the long haul, Kirby said.

"While they work on the necessary things they have to do like any members of the alliance has to work. For instance, on corruption," he added.

Unlike NATO, the U.S.-Ukraine security deal does not require an American military response if Ukraine is attacked but outlines a long-term defense and other assistance to Kyiv.

Ukraine has voiced hope that NATO's July summit in Washington will bring a more definite signal about Ukraine's future membership in the alliance. American officials made it clear that the country is unlikely to receive an invitation.

Stoltenberg: NATO fails to agree on long-term financial support for Ukraine

NATO allies have not yet agreed on a long-term financial pledge for Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Jun 14 after a two-day meeting of the alliances defense ministers in Brussels.

Read more:
Ukraine must win the war first before joining NATO, White House says - Kyiv Independent

French presidents have significant influence on the country's foreign affairs and defense policy. However, a government led by the far right would have control over the budget. That would allow it to derail military aid to Ukraine. Macron's 3 billion security deal with Ukraine is not properly budgeted, making it easy for the far-right party to sit on the pledges.

"If we really want a peaceful negotiated solution, the best way of achieving that is to provide military support to Ukraine," Stoltenberg said.

I cannot tell you what the next crisis or the next war will be, but what I can tell you is that as long as we stand together North America and Europe we will be able to manage to tackle whatever next crisis will be, he added.

He also downplayed Hungarys decision to opt out of a new NATO mission to coordinate military aid and training for Ukraine. There have been differences between allies on different issues, but we have always also been able to find solutions and to move on, he said.

On his NATO proposal to pledge 40 billion per year on supporting Ukraine, which still lacks the full support of member countries, Stoltenberg said it would be necessary to keep the support at the same level as in the last two years.

I strongly believe that we must prevent what we saw this winter, where there were big delays and gaps in the provision of support, and that had real consequences on the battlefield, he said. War is too serious to be dependent on ad hoc, short-term, voluntary contributions. We need long-term commitment to Ukraine.

Laura Kayali contributed reporting.

See original here:
Stoltenberg appeals to France to 'keep NATO strong' as far right surges - POLITICO Europe