Category Archives: NATO

5000 NATO, partner troops stage exercises in Romania News & Observer Some 5,000 troops from NATO and partner countries are staging exercises in Romania watched by a senior NATO official and Romania's president. President Klaus Iohannis and NATO Military Committee head Gen. Petr Pavel, who is on a two-day visit to ... and more »

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5000 NATO, partner troops stage exercises in Romania - News & Observer

On Wednesday NATO and Russia received a new reason to argue and make claims to each other. NATO posted an 8-minute online documentary video glorifying the activity of the Baltic partisan movement Forest Brothers.

For the Baltic States WWII did not end in 1945, as well as for the Soviet army soldiers who faced unexpected violent resistance from national partisans. The Forest Brothers actively fought the Soviet army from 1948 until the late 1950s or early 60s.

It should be noted that the Forest Brothers activity is little known and a controversial piece of history of the Baltic States. There are two radically opposite points of view. From one point of view the Forest Brothers were partisans who continued armed resistance to the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania after the end of the Second World War. From the second point of view such treatment of their activity is very contradictory, because there are facts that many of the Forest Brothers were former Nazi collaborators and members of the Baltic Waffen SS, and that members of these groups killed thousands of civilians in their raids.

Where is the truth? It seems as if in this particular case NATO has gone about the Baltic States and puts itself in an uncomfortable position, supporting the possible misinterpretation of historical facts.

A similar dispute has become a source of contention between Ukraine and Poland, which differently interpret Stepan Banderas role in history. Ukraine considers Stepan Bandera a hero. Poles mainly remember him for collaborating with the Nazis and for his followers slaughtering Polish civilians. Poles find Ukraines version of a common history a problem and emphasize, that they will not accept ideology and actions that allow murder of innocent civilians, even in the name of the highest goals, to which undoubtedly fight for state independence belongs. The matter is very similar to what is going on between NATO and Russia just now.

Such political interference into the history of separate countries, in bitter moments of the past wont make NATO stronger, wont make relations between opponents warmer, and wont make the continent more peaceful. There are enough problems in contemporary history that should be solved immediately and a new one makes the situation even harder. As for the Baltic States they simply want NATOs attention, and past conflict with the Soviet Union provides an opportunity to attract that attention and, probably, money

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Is History a New NATO Weapon against Russia? - International Policy Digest (press release) (blog)

Russia's support for the Syrian government in its war against jihadists and other insurgents has given Moscow a newfound military foothold in the Mediterranean, one that could present a serious challenge to another foe: NATO.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank that monitors global conflicts, released a report Thursday linking Russia's commitment toSyrian President Bashar al-Assad and his armed forces with Moscow's desire to increase its leverage against U.S.-led alliance NATO, which dominates much of Europe. For years, Russia and NATO have been engaged in an international arms race, the likes of which have not been seen since the Cold War, and each side accuses the other of pushing the limits of peace among the world's leading military powers. By coming to the rescue of an old ally in the Middle East, Russia may have secured a new, strategic entrance to the heavily contested theater of Europe.

Related:Trump's War: From bombing Syria to challenging Russia and Iran

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A still image taken from a video footage and released by Russia's Defense Ministry on June 23, 2017, shows a missile being fired from a Russian warship to positions held by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in Syria's Hama province, from the Mediterranean Sea. In helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his armed forces defeat the insurgents and jihadists attempting to overthrow him, Russia was able to build up its forces in the Mediterranean Sea. MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS TV

"Russian President Vladimir Putin is establishing a long-term military presence in the Mediterranean Sea in part to contest the United States ability to operate freely and hold NATOs southern flank at risk," the report, authored by analysts Charles Frattini III and Genevieve Casagrande, found.

Casagrande told Newsweek that Russia's approach to the conflict in Syria "almost immediately" showed signs of an underlying campaign to creep into NATO's southern flank, especially in Moscow's interaction with NATO member Turkey. Turkey was a leading sponsor of militants that took arms against Assad's government in 2011, accusing the Syrian leader of perpetrating human rights abuses and political oppression. Early on, rebels began to receive significant support from Western countries such as the U.S. and Gulf Arab states such as Qatar as well. The Syrian military was forced to withdraw from much of the country, leaving only a few major cities as bastions of government support.

This changed in 2015, however, when Russia staged a direct military intervention at Assad's request. Syria's Baathist government and Moscow have kept ties for decades and, under the cover of Russian airstrikes, Syria's armed forces were able to regainmuch of the country. Rebels, whose ranks had already been largely decimated by infighting with ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim fighters from Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), had little choice but to surrender nearly every population center under their control. In what was perhaps the biggest turning point in the war, insurgents were beaten in Aleppo in December. Turkey, which continued to sponsor rebels after rising jihadist influence compelled the U.S. to partially abandon its own backing, entered into an unprecedented agreement with Russia to give up whatwas once a bastion of anti-government support in Aleppo.

The move marked the beginning of the Astana peace process, an effort to find a political solution to the war that parallels ongoing U.N.-sponsored talks. Casagrande said Russia's ability to convince a "conflicted" Turkey, a primary opponent of Assad's government that often disagrees with its NATO partners as well, to come to the table with the Syrian government and Iran, another major ally of Assad, signaled a turn in Moscow's favor.

"Russia is using this to drive a wedge between Turkey and other NATO allies," Casagrande told Newsweek. "It's part of Russia's global plan to constrain and disrupt NATO at large."

A graphic provided by the Institute for the Study of War shows the extent of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's new Mediterranean Task Force. While Moscow's intervention in Syria has turned the tides of war for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, it has also granted a strategic point of access for Russia near NATO's southern flank in Europe. INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR

The strategy appears to be working, too, she noted. On a tactical level, the Syrian army and its allies have made a significant comeback with even French President Emmanuel Macron rescinding Assad's departure as a precondition to ending a war that's raged on for more than six years, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions more. The Syrian military has largely secured the western part of the country, save for the rebel hub of Idlib, and has begun moving east, rapidly cutting through ISIS territory toward the city of Deir Al-Zour, which has been under siege by the jihadists since 2014.

Russia, on the other hand, is looking west. It's contributed extensive naval resources, including 15 warships from its Black Sea Fleet, toward developing a Permanent Mediterranean Task Force as of July 5. The ships are based out of the coastal Syrian city of Tartous, where Moscow secured permission from Damascus to establish a naval base for nearly the next half a century. Russian warships and a submarinein the Mediterranean have already fired advanced, supersonic Kalibr cruise missiles against ISIS positions in Syria. The same nuclear-capable weapons could soon easily be in range of NATO targets as well, if they aren't already.

"Regarding Russia's engagement in Syria, I think it's absolutely linked to a desire by Moscow to project power on a greater scale in the region as a whole," Neil Hauer, lead analyst at SecDev Group, told Newsweek, noting upcoming renovations to both Russia's naval base in Tartous and air basein Latakia.

"All of this goes far above and beyond what the remaining campaign against Syrian rebels and the Islamic State requires, and thus appears to be pretty clearly aimed at establishing Russia as a major player in the region and challenger to NATO's aims for years to come," he added.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad visits a Russian air base at Hmeymim, in western Syria in this handout picture posted on the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on June 27, 2017, Syria. Hmeymim is one of the crucial military installations lent by the Syrian military to its Russian allies for at least 49 years. SANA/Reuters

It may not end with Syria, either. Russia's special forces have already reportedly been spotted in Egypt, potentially courting Libyan military leader Khalifa Hifter, who has become increasingly influential politically over his war-torn nation. Yemen, which has been devastated by a Saudi Arabia-led campaign against a local majority-Shiite Muslim militant group known as the Houthis,could also serve as a venue for Russian military ventures where the U.S. and its allies have significantly struggled to achieve theirown objectives. As Russia and NATO's rivalryplays out in the Baltics and other parts of Europe, the latter may find itself caught off guard by an expandingRussian sphere of influence reminiscent of Moscow's Soviet legacy.

"Putin has already set some pretty strategic conditions in countries like Libya, Egypt and Yemen," Casagrande told Newsweek. "What Russia does pretty well in the Middle East is set itself to benefit from opportunities in the long run."

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Newest Russia Threat? Military Challenges US And Europe By Winning In Syria, Entering Mediterranean - Newsweek

Even when a moment designed to affirm some of Americas basic principles is dangled before him, President Donald Trump has a way of batting it aside. In Brussels on Thursday, as he stood at a rostrum at a ceremony in front of the new NATO headquarters, Trump had, to his left, a mangled girder from the World Trade Center; to his right, broken slabs of the Berlin Wall, both of which were being dedicated as memorials; and, behind him, the leaders of the twenty-seven other countries in the alliance. One of them, Germanys Chancellor, Angela Merkel, had just delivered remarks that served as a reminder that, until she was thirty-five years old, she had lived behind that wall, and had been part of the civic movement that peacefully reunified Germany. Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary-General of NATO , who had introduced Merkel, noted that she had been among the crowds filling the streets of East Berlin on the night the Wall came down. A few minutes later, when Stoltenberg introduced Trump, he summoned a personal connection for him, too, noting that the 9/11 terrorists struck at the heart of your own home town, New York. That attack marked the only time that NATO has invoked Article 5 of its charter, the mutual-defense provision, which the new headquarters 9/11 memorial was also supposed to commemorate. In what may have been an attempt at Trump-friendly sloganeering, Stoltenberg summed up Article 5 by declaring, gamely, All for one, and one for all! But Trump had come to praise other ideals, other lands, and other leaders.

He had just come from Saudi Arabia , Trump told the NATO leaders, in a brief speech. There, I spent much time with King Salman, a wise man who wants to see things get much better rapidly.That meeting had beenhistoric, Trump said. The leaders of the Middle East had promised him that they would stop funding the radical ideology that leads to this horrible terrorism all over the globe. So that should take care of the problem. He did not define radical ideology,or acknowledge that he was praising a monarch in what seemed to be an attempt to put the assembled elected leaders of democracies to shame. Trumps world view seems to combine a distaste for Islam with a predilection for monarchs of any backgroundfor anyone with a decent palace, really. In viewing his world travels, that mixture can be confusing, but it should not be mistaken for a sign of budding tolerance. (As has been widely noted, Trump once called Brussels ahellhole, on account of its large number of immigrantsmany of whom came from countries whose repressive leaders had joined him at the summit in Riyadh. He has said similar things about Paris: No one wants to go to Paris anymore. When Trump was in Riyadh, though, he couldnt stop talking about how fancy the new buildings were.)He did express his sympathy to Prime Minister Theresa May, of the United Kingdom, who was also in attendance, for the Manchester attack (terrible thing), and called for a moment of silence to honor the dead. But he quickly moved to chastising the leaders for not having taken seriously enough the need for building walls, rather than taking them down.

Terrorism must be stopped in its tracks, orthe horror you saw in Manchester and so many other places will continue forever,Trump said. You have thousands and thousands of people pouring into our various countries and spreading throughout, and in many cases we have no idea who they are.He seemed to suggest that thetracksthat terrorism was on were the same paths that refugees followed, or perhaps just the roads that ran through the deliberately unpoliced borders of the European Union. We must be tough. We must be strong. And we must be vigilant,he continued. The other leaders watched him, with whatever sort of vigilance each thought necessary, as he went on to tell them that they needed to spend more money on defense, and offered his explanation for why.

The NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration, as well as threats from Russia and on NATO s eastern and southern borders.These grave security concerns are the same reason that I have been very, very direct with Secretary Stoltenberg and members of the Alliance in saying that NATO members must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations.(It is worth noting thatimmigration,without any qualifying phrase, is on Trumps list ofgrave security concerns, which raises the question of where and when he thinks that immigration, including to America, makes a country stronger.) Twenty-three NATO countries were not meeting the alliances target of spending at least two per cent of their G.D.P. on defense, he said, while the UnitedStateswas exceeding that number. This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States,Trump said. The idea that other things might be unfair to the American peoplethat, for example, the levelof defense spending might be too high at a time when the Trump Administrations budget is cutting money meant to help children and the disabledhad not seemed to enter his mind. Still, the NATO members had already agreed to spend more money.

Merkel, in her remarks, expressed her countrys unending gratitude toward NATO for the role it played in German reunification. But she also focussed on the people of Central and Eastern Europe, whosecourage,she said, was one of the reasons that pieces of the Berlin Wall were now justa memento.Their courage included crossing borders and, in some cases, risking and even losing their lives in dashes across the no mans land that separated East and West Berlin. Ronald Reagans 1987 Berlin speech, in which he demanded,Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,expressed valuesopenness and democracy among themthat Trump seemed to shrug at. But, as important as Reagans message may have been at the time,andas well as it has stood up in the judgment of history, the moment two years later, when the Wall was brought down not by a Soviet official but by crowds of ordinary East Germans, caught NATO by surprise. The force of the aspiration for freedom, and the will to move to where it can be found, often comes upon governments unexpectedly. ButReagans voice had been one of leadership. Trumps was not, unless you define leadership as always getting to be the one in front. A video caught Trump winning that position by shoving aside the Prime Minister of Montenegro, and then seeming not to notice him. (During the campaign, Trump had wondered why Americans would want to defend countries whose names they couldnt even remember.)

European leaders were reportedly hoping for an affirmation of Article 5 in Trumps remarks; they didnt get it. In general, the approach of his hosts on this trip seems to have been to hope very much that he doesnt actually break anything. Remarks have been kept short, flattery longa reminder, as with the international and unmerited fting of Ivanka, of how Trumpism lowers the level of dialogue all around. Trump does like it when people give gifts (though he may not have appreciated it when Pope Francis, at the Vatican, handed him a copy of his encyclical on climate change), and so he thanked the 9/11 Museum, in New York, which had donated the girders, and Merkel, as a representative of Germany, for donating the slabs. He spoke a few sentences about the memorials symbolic power. But, as he looked around at the new headquarters, he seemed, again, to be dwelling on a different definition of a value.

And I never asked once what the new NATO headquarters cost,he said, as if he should be thanked for that act of restraint. I refuse to do that. But it is beautiful.It was not, perhaps, what Trump would have built. But what would have been the price of that?

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At NATO Headquarters, Trump Fails Another Leadership Test

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NATO, Moscow Squabble Over Russian War Games Near Alliance Borders Wall Street Journal (subscription) At NATO headquarters in the Belgian capital, Russian representatives outlined the troops, ships, aircraft and weaponry that will participate in the joint Russian-Belarusian regional exercises scheduled for September, partly on Belarus's.

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NATO, Moscow Squabble Over Russian War Games Near Alliance Borders - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

NATO forces demonstrate a water obstacle crossing during an International exercise Iron Wolf 2017 /Saber Strike 2017 in Stasenai, Lithuania, June 20, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

NATOs latest military exercises in Eastern Europe kicked off in Bulgaria on Tuesday. Some 25,000 military personnel from more than 20 NATO member states are involved in the drills. Press TV has interviewed Richard Becker, an analyst with the ANSWER Coalition, and Brent Budowsky, a columnist at The Hill, to discuss the matter.

Becker said NATO is as an offensive alliance, which has increased the number of its member states, especially in Eastern Europe, and has attempted to surround Russia.

NATO is a very dangerous organization and not a defensive organization, because it is moving on Russia.

He pointed to NATOs record in the past 25 years, noting that the organization joined US-led invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yugoslavia.

The US and its allies... are very determined to take an aggressive course vis--vis Russia, he said.

Becker also argued that the US-led attempt to bring Ukraine into both the European Union and NATO was not a policy that any Russian governments could accept.

Meanwhile, Budowsky said the NATO drills in Eastern Europe were for defensive purposes and an attempt to reassure the European leaders who are worried about Russia.

He also dismissed a possible conflict between NATO members and Russia.

The chances of NATO wanting any kind of attack against Russia are mathematically zero, and the idea of a nuclear or conventional war between the United States, NATO, and Europe versus Russia is zero, he said.

The columnist said NATO is a defensive alliance that is not going to invade Russia.

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'NATO is offensive, not defensive organization' - Press TV

A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council, the second this year, has begun in Brussels.

The July 13 talks are expected to focus on measures to reduce tensions and risks after recent incidents involving maneuvering by warplanes flying over the Baltic Sea.

Russian state media reported the sides will also discuss the war in Ukraine between the government and separatists who are receiving military, economic, and political support from Moscow.

Speaking in Kyiv on July 10, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Moscow to remove "its thousands of soldiers from Ukraine and stop supporting militants with command-and-control and military equipment."

Russia has denied military involvement in the conflict in Ukraine despite substantial evidence it has provided troops, mercenaries, and military equipment via the part of Ukraine's border that is controlled by the separatists.

Before the NATO-Russia Council meeting, NATO officials told journalists they will press for Russian pilots to file flight plans, respond to air traffic control, or identify themselves with cockpit transmitters when flying in the Baltic area.

NATO said last month it tracked three Russian aircraft over the sea, including two jets which it said did not respond to air traffic control or requests to identify themselves.

Moscow maintains that all Russian flights over the Baltic comply with international law.

For its part, Russia said it scrambled a jet last month to intercept a nuclear-capable U.S. B-52 bomber it said was flying over the Baltic, in an incident that had echoes of the Cold War.

The NATO-Russia Council is a forum intended to prevent such tensions from escalating.

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NATO-Russia Council Expected To Discuss Flight Incidents, Ukraine - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

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The world's first digital underwater communications standard will allow underwater devices to talk with one another.

Many in the tech world are crazy excited about the Internet of Things, a hyperconnected world of internet-enabled devices, in which everyday objects are able to both send and receive data among one another. And what could be even more exciting than the regular IoT? The obvious answer is an underwaterInternet of Things, of course!

Thats what the NATO Science and Technology Organizations [Center] for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) has developed with newly sponsored research designed to establish the worlds first-ever acoustic digital underwater communications standard. Called Janus, the new digital alternative has been used by all NATO allies since earlier this year and represents the first time a digital underwater communication protocol has been established at a global level. Considering that more than 70 percent of the globe is covered by water, its about time.

On the surface, the idea of an underwater communication standard might sound a bit unnecessary. After all, were still getting used to smart devices on dry land, so do we really need them in the ocean, too? The short answer is yes. For instance, underwater communications will allow for the creation of underwater networks that will let undersea robots work together autonomously and report findings back home.This could be used for everything from detecting underwater leaks in oil rigs and harbor protection to mine detection and underwater archaeology. Such applications will only become more important.

Robots can behave intelligently and act as a team, said Joao Alves, Principal Scientist and Project Leader at CMRE, in a statement. For example, one of the robots could find some interesting feature and call the rest of the team.

Janus named after the Roman god of openings and gateways, if youre interested operates by defining the common frequency of 11.5 kilohertz, through which underwater devices can communicate. Once they have connected, they then have the option of switching to another frequency or protocol to maximize their underwater comms abilities.

Given that we can only dream of every land-based IoT device speaking the same language, Janus is actually pretty ahead of its time.

We justhope the researchers have put enough work into the security side of things. Because the idea of NATOs entire underwater fleet getting hacked totally sounds like the premise of a new James Bond movie.

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NATO communication protocol could bring on Internet of Underwater Things - Digital Trends

President Trump consistently misstates his impact on NATO's budget and how that budget works. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

Americans know that a strong alliance of free, sovereign and independent nations is the best defense for our freedoms and for our interests. That is why my administration has demanded that all members of NATO finally meet their full and fair financial obligation. As a result of this insistence, billions of dollars more have begun to pour into NATO. In fact, people are shocked. But billions and billions of dollars more coming in from countries that, in my opinion, would not have been paying so quickly. President Trump, speech in Warsaw, July 6, 2017

Whenever we delve into Trumps rhetoric on the funding of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, we find that he fundamentally mischaracterizes the way NATO works. This was true of candidate Trump, who received Three Pinocchios for a series of misleading claims about NATO funding, and of President Trump, who received anupdated rating of Four Pinocchios for his failure to correct his talking points.

Trump now says new money is pouring into NATObecause of his administration. We logged versions ofthis claim at least 15 times in our Fact Checker database tracking every false or misleading claim by Trump in his first full year as president.

This is yet another case where Trump is quick to take credit for decisions others made prior to his election, or unrelated to his presidency. Lets dig into the facts.

Trump started making this claim when head-libbed itin his maiden speech to Congress at the end of February a month into his presidency. I can tell you the money is pouring in. Very nice, he said, mentioning he was pressing NATO allies in very frank and strong discussions. As we noted at the time, this is nonsensical.

NATO was established in the aftermath of World War II. It began with 12 members in a defense alliance among Western European countries, the United States and Canada to counter the Soviet Union and its satellite countries in Eastern Europe (known as the Warsaw Pact). After the Soviet Union collapsed and the Warsaw Pact unraveled, NATO expanded to include many Eastern European nations and even former parts of the Soviet Union. There are now 28 member countries in NATO.

There are two types of funding for NATO: direct and indirect. Direct contributions are shared among the 29 member states to pay for the costs of the actual alliance (for example, maintenance and headquarters activity). But when Trump talks about financial obligation and money pouring into NATO, he is talking about indirect spending. (The White House did not respond to our request for explanation.)

Indirect spending is the money NATO countries spend on their own defense budgets. These contributions are voluntary and not legally binding. Each country decides what to contribute based on their own defense capability.

Each NATO member has had this 2 percent spending guideline since 2006, but not everyone had been actively working toward that. Then during a 2014 summit in Wales, NATO members pledged to stop cutting their defense expenditure and move toward that 2 percent guideline within 10 years. This decision, taken just months after the annexation of Crimea, was a response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

That means long before Trump started complaining about other countries NATO contributions during the campaign and into his presidency, members had committed to having defense spending account for 2 percent of each nations gross domestic product by 2024.

Since the 2014 meeting, defense expenditures from member countries increased steadily. The cumulative spending increase from 2015 to 2017 above 2014 level is an additional $45.8 billion, according toNATOs announcement from June 29, 2017.

Defense spending from non-U.S. members is estimated to increase $13 billion in 2017. But there is no evidence the Trump administration had anything to do with these countries independent decisions to bolster their own defense spending. These budget decisions were made during the 2016 calendar year, before Trump became president.

In 2017, six countries met the 2 percent goal. United States leads the pack at 3.6 percent. The other countries are Greece, Estonia, Britain, Romania and Poland. (Greece met the guideline even though it slashed defense spending, because its economy collapsed. This is whysome experts say the guideline is rather arbitrary.)

Other nations especially ones that border Russia or Ukraine have bolstered their defense spending in response to perceived threats from Russia.Romania and Poland are former members of the Warsaw Pact.

Who deserves the most credit? Vladimir Putin. It was the invasion of Crimea, the launching of insurgency backed by Russia in Eastern Ukraine, that was the wake-up call for the majority of the allies, said Alexander Vershbow, former deputy secretary general of NATO. It took a while to see the results; 2015 was not a year of substantial increases but 2016 was. So again, Vladimir Putin and his aggressive behavior deserves more credit than the president of the United States.

Every U.S. president in recent memory similarly called on other countries to increase their defense spending, experts say, but Trumps rhetoric may have lit a fire for countries setting their budgets for 2018 and beyond. For example, at the May 25 NATO meeting, member countries agreed to develop a plan by the end of 2017 showing how they would meet the 2 percent guideline.

Still, Trump goes way too far taking credit, and no new commitments have been made since he became president.

Even if you wanted to take a look at the impact that Trump had on defense spending, you have to wait a few years, said Jim Townsend, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for European and NATO policy. If you see a huge surge in 2018, you can ask: Was that a Trump surge or something else causing that? But you have to get there first. The money that is in the budget this year was set in motion last year.

Trump certainly is not the first president to insist other members of NATO increase their defense spending. Yet he says that because of his insistence, countries are spending billions and billions more. Defense spending by NATO countries increased since they agreed in 2014 to work toward the 2 percent guideline, in response to threats from Russia. Increases in spending since then were the countries voluntary, independent decisions precedinghis presidency.

This over-the-top rhetoric goes way too far, once again pushing him into Four-Pinocchio territory.

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2017-07-12 11:26:27 UTC

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"That is why my administration has demanded that all members of NATO finally meet their full and fair financial obligation. As a result of this insistence, billions of dollars more have begun to pour into NATO. "

Donald Trump

President of the United States

speech in Warsaw

Thursday, July 6, 2017

2017-07-06

Excerpt from:
President Trump's claim 'billions and billions' are 'pouring into NATO ... - Washington Post

WASHINGTON NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Ukraine last weekend to honor 20 years of partnership, according to a NATO announcement.While there, Stoltenberg pointedly spoke out against Russian aggression during his remarks.

Russia has maintained its aggressive actions against Ukraine. But NATO and NATO allies stand on your side,he said. NATO allies do not, and will not, recognize Russias illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea.

At a press conference, Stoltenberg said it was clear the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine was not effective and urged Russia to pull its thousands of troops from Ukraine, emphasizing that the Minsk agreements must be fully implemented and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe monitors be granted in full. The OSCE sponsors a special Ukraine mission that monitors all regions of the country.

Ukraine President, Petro Poroshenko was optimistic about NATO-backed defense against Russia.

I am absolutely confident that effective solidarity and unity, European, trans-Atlantic, global, informal of G7 is an effective instrument to keep Russia at the table of negotiation, he said in his remarks.

Stoltenberg complimented Ukraine for its movement toward NATO standards and for being the only partner participating in all NATO missions and operations, including in Afghanistan and in Kosovo.

Meanwhile, NATO has been assisting Ukraine through a Comprehensive Assistance Package, which was signed last year at the Warsaw Summit. Stoltenberg said NATO plans to continue this support, which will make [Ukraine] more democratic, more resilient and more prosperous.

During his visit to Ukraine, Stoltenberg attended the opening of the new premises of the NATO representation to Ukraine alongside Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

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NATO secretary general honors Ukraine, speaks out against Russia - DefenseNews.com