Russian bombers fly over Belarus amid Ukraine tensions

Russia on Saturday sent a pair of long-range nuclear-capable bombers on patrol over its ally Belarus amid spiraling tensions over Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said the two Tu-22M3 bombers practiced interacting with the Belarusian air force and air defense during a four-hour mission. The flight followed several similar patrols over Belarus, which borders Ukraine

US sends first shipment of military aid to Ukraine amid standoff with Russia

The United States says the first shipment of military aid promised by President Joe Biden to Ukraine amid the standoff with Russia has arrived in Kyiv. Washington has also endorsed a move by the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to send US-made weapons to Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted on Saturday to salute

Gravitas: Tiny Lithuania takes on China – WION

Lithuania is doing what many so-called superpowers have failed to do. They invited Taiwan to open a de-facto embassy in Vilnius and is asking their citizens to dump Chinese phones. Palki Sharma tells you why this Baltic minnow is taking on Beijing.

UK troops will not be deployed to Ukraine to defend against Russia

Britain and its allies are “highly unlikely” to send troops to defend Ukraine if Russia invades the country, the UK’s defence secretary has said. “We shouldn’t kid people we would,” Ben Wallace told the Spectator magazine. “The Ukrainians are aware of that.” Russia has moved thousands of troops near Ukraine’s eastern borders, leading Western powers

NATO will not let Russia dictate its military posture, Germany says

NATO will discuss Russia’s security proposals but it will not let Moscow dictate the alliance’s military posture, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Sunday on a visit to German troops based in Lithuania to deter a Russian attack. On Friday, Moscow set out a list of demands for the West that includes withdrawing NATO battalions

While President Biden pushes for a diplomatic solution, Russia ups the hostile rhetoric against Kyiv – WION

Days after US President Joe Biden’s virtual meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Russia seems to be escalating its hostile rhetoric against Ukraine.

Lithuania successfully tests power link to continental Europe, minister says

Lithuania last week successfully tested a coupling of its power grid to the European continental system, boosting the country’s energy security, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys said on Wednesday. Power grids of EU members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are working in concert to those of Russia and Belarus, and depend on Russia to ensure stable power

Russia’s top diplomat accuses the US and NATO of risking a ‘nightmare scenario of military confrontation’ amid tensions over Ukraine

Sergey Lavrov accused the US of risking a “nightmare scenario” in Europe.  The top Russian diplomat said NATO was “irresponsibly” expanding its military infrastucture toward Rusisa. Meanwhile, NATO has expressed concerns Russia is on the verge of invading Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday accused the US and NATO of risking a “nightmare

Russia will act if Nato countries cross Ukraine ‘red lines’, Putin says

Deployment of weapons or troops in Ukraine by Nato would trigger strong response, Russian president says Vladimir Putin has warned Nato countries that deploying weapons or soldiers to Ukraine would cross a “red line” for Russia and trigger a strong response, including a potential deployment of Russian missiles targeting Europe. Nato countries have warned Putin

Latvia calls for permanent U.S. troops to guard against Russia threat

Latvia needs a permanent U.S. military presence to deter Russia and wants to boost its defences with U.S. Patriot missiles, Defence Minister Artis Pabriks said on Monday as NATO’s chief visited allied troops in the Baltic country. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to arrive in Latvia’s capital Riga late on Monday before