Nato

The next phase of the Ukraine War, a new Russian offensive and a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive, seems all but inevitable for late winter or early spring. The logic of escalation is prevailing, the mutual belief that no peace deal is possible until the other side understands that it can’t win. The Ukrainian hope for how this escalation ends was sketched out by Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a recent interview with Bruno Macaes for The New Statesman. “Russia will embark on some minor offensive actions in a short period of time,” Macaes summarizes. “A lot of manpower will be lost. After that, it will face a series of significant defeats.” This will lead to Russian unraveling: Major cities will be lost, some kind of military collapse will follow, and then there will be “uncontrolled political transformation” within the Russian Federation itself. Podolyak doesn’t predict that all of this will happen this spring, suggesting that the timing … [Read more...] about The Costs of a Long War in Ukraine

A former Israeli prime minister who served briefly as a mediator at the start of Russia’s war with Ukraine says he drew a promise from the Russian president not to kill his Ukrainian counterpart. Naftali Bennett emerged as an unlikely intermediary in the war’s first weeks, becoming one of the few Western leaders to meet President Vladimir Putin during the war in a snap trip to Moscow last March. While Bennett’s mediation efforts appear to have done little to end the bloodshed that continues until today, his remarks, in an interview posted online late Saturday, shed light on the backroom diplomacy and urgent efforts that were underway to try to bring the conflict to a speedy conclusion in its early days. In the five-hour interview, which touched on numerous other subjects, Bennett says he asked Putin about whether he intended to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy . “I asked ‘what’s with this? Are you planning to kill Zelenskyy?’ He said ‘I won’t kill … [Read more...] about Putin promised not to kill Zelenskyy, former Israeli prime minister says

Naftali Bennett, the Prime Minister of Israel towards the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, says the West “blocked” a ceasefire he was helping to broker early in the war. Bennett, who was prime minister and then alternate prime minister in Israel during a confusing period of coalition politics prior to the return of Benjamin Netanyahu as head of government in December, said that “there was a good chance of reaching a ceasefire” before the Western powers “curbed” negotiations in a wide-ranging interview uploaded to YouTube. Israel is one of a number of states traditionally seen as being aligned with the West, along with the likes of India and Turkey , which have played little or no part in efforts to support Ukraine militarily or engage in the sanctions war with Russia, with Bennett explaining that while “the Americans expect… that we all rally for Ukraine” this would not necessarily have been in Israel’s interests. By way of example, Bennett … [Read more...] about Western Powers ‘Blocked’ Ceasefire Early in Ukraine War: Israeli Ex-PM

The Treasury has signalled there is no new money for defence despite recognising the urgent need to rearm in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine, defence sources have said. At the same time, the sources said a "refresh" of UK defence policy - that was meant to inform the spending plans of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - could be delayed until after the March budget because an initial draft failed to reflect sufficiently the transformed security environment in Europe, where a land war is raging. "It is not very joined up government," according to one source, who was speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The comments came after Sky News last week revealed that a senior US general had told Defence Secretary Ben Wallace that the British Army is no longer regarded as a top level, or "tier one", fighting force following decades of cuts to its size and strength. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video … [Read more...] about Ammunition running out but ‘no new money’ for defence despite war in Ukraine, sources say

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for September 17 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. NATO members Greece and Turkey have ratcheted up tensions in recent weeks over access to natural resources in the Mediterranean , causing yet another fracture in the western military alliance. The two countries each claim exclusive economic rights over gas reserves and Ankara has escalated military operations in the eastern Mediterranean in pursuit of drilling rights and other foreign policy objectives. Turkey's research vessel, Oruc Reis anchored off the coast of Antalya on the Mediterranean, Turkey, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the return of a Turkish survey vessel to port Sunday from a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean that has been at the heart of a summer stand-off between Greece and Turkey over energy rights. (AP Photo/Burhan … [Read more...] about Turkey’s confrontational foreign policy challenges Greece, European Union amid rising maritime tensions

Russia began amassing troops along the Ukrainian border a little more than a year ago while simultaneously conducting military drills with neighboring ally Belarus. This time a year ago the Winter Olympics were being held in Beijing. A few days after the Olympics ended, Russia began its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The war will hit its one-year mark on February 24, and the amount of Russian losses keep mounting at a rapid rate. The Ukraine Defense Ministry stated Saturday that 720 Russian soldiers died the previous day, bringing the total to 130,590 dead Russian soldiers on the war's 346th day. This is an increase of more than 5,000 Russian deaths since last Saturday , and more than 10,500 over the last 14 days. Russian deaths could possibly hit 140,000 by the one-year mark of war this month, according to Ukraine's average of recent daily numbers. In addition Saturday, Russia lost three tanks, 11 more artillery vehicles, four drones and 13 more vehicle and fuel tanks the … [Read more...] about Russian death toll soars past 130,000 as war nears 1-year mark: Ukraine