NATO
Moscow vows retaliation for NATO's expulsion of Russian diplomats
"NATO's reluctance to interact has become obvious, and this seems to be definitive and irrevocable. We will proceed from this when developing response measures, which will follow," said Russia Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova during her weekly press briefing. She added that while the alliance's decision did not come as a surprise, it was nonetheless an arrogant and hypocritical move, especially as no official explanations were provided.
NATO blames Afghanistan's leadership for collapse
Stoltenberg said the US and NATO are not responsible for the collapse of the former government, TOLO News reported on Sunday."Parts of the Afghan security forces fought bravely. But they were unable to secure the country. Because ultimately, the Afghan political leadership failed to stand up to the Taliban and to achieve the peaceful solution that Afghans desperately wanted.
NATO countries end evacuation mission from Kabul, 4 to 5 days ahead of Aug 31 US deadline
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News: "We will process those people that we have brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately inside the airfield now. And we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowd, where we can, but overall the main processing has now closed and we have a matter of hours."
Pro-NATO Afghan officials on Taliban hit list, says UN secret report
The document prepared by the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses, which provides intelligence to the UN, states that Taliban militants have been going door-to-door to find targets and threatening their family members, the BBC has revealed."It is in writing that, unless they give themselves in, the Taliban will arrest and prosecute, interrogate and punish family members on behalf of those individuals."
NATO crew member from K'taka recalls Afghan stint
"I am in touch with locals of Herat city who worked with me. There is a curfew kind of atmosphere in the entire city. People are not coming out of their houses," he told IANS. Only the Kabul airport is operating and all the others are closed. "When we were evacuated, there was no mad rush like it is happening in Kabul. Our base was handed over to the local government after evacuation," he says.
Lessons need to be learned from Afghanistan: NATO chief
"The big question we have to ask and understand in a clear-eyed way is: why didn't the forces we trained, and equipped, and supported over so many years, why were they not able to stand up against the Taliban in a stronger and better way than they did?" Stoltenberg said at a press conference after a special meeting of NATO ambassadors to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
Russia to strengthen military capabilities to counter NATO threat
"The recent NATO summit demonstrated unprecedented anti-Russian sentiment and confirmed the alliance's desire to occupy the role of the world's police," Patrushev said at the ninth Moscow Conference on International Security on Thursday. He pointed to the bloc's increased military spending that went up by 4 per cent in 2020 despite a global economic decline.
NATO follows G7 footsteps on China, says Beijing's 'assertive behaviour' presents systemic challenges
The stand of NATO on China gained further prominence as it came a day after the Group of Seven (G7) summit communique condemned Beijing and its policies around the world. The G7 scolded China on alleged violation of human rights against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, deteriorating ties with Hong Kong and Taiwan along with other economic policies of the country.
Macron urges European sovereignty ahead of G7, NATO summits
Regarding the NATO summit next week in Brussels, Macron, who said in 2019 that the trans-Atlantic alliance was experiencing "brain death", stressed that "the strategic capability autonomy of Europeans should be recognized".
NATO summit to demonstrate trans-Atlantic unity: Secretary General
"This summit will be a strong demonstration of trans-Atlantic unity of Europe and North America, because we are stronger and safer together in the more unpredictable world," dpa news agency quoted Stoltenberg as saying on Monday. Among the range of different challenges and threats to prepare for, Stoltenberg cited Russia, with its growing aggression toward its neighbours, and China as it invests in new military capabilities.
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