Hundreds of Swedish forces arrive in Latvia in largest deployment with NATO to date

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Hundreds of Swedish troops arrived in Latvia on Saturday to join a Canadian-led multinational brigade along NATO's eastern flank, a mission Sweden is calling its most significant operation so far as a member of the Western defense alliance. A ship carrying...

Trump vowed to end the war in Ukraine quickly but Moscow and Kyiv are digging in before any talks

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to broker a peace deal in Ukraine, but as he prepares to take office, peace seems as elusive as ever. Moscow and Kyiv are seeking battlefield gains to strengthen their negotiating positions ahead of any prospective talks to end the 3-year-old...

Blinken tells AP he's worried Trump administration may abandon key Biden foreign policy initiatives

WASHINGTON (AP) — Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken told The Associated Press that he hopes the incoming Trump administration will press forward with key points in President Joe Biden’s foreign policy, including on the Middle East and Ukraine. But in an wide-ranging...

Lithuania vows to boost defense spending to 5-6% of GDP, citing the threat of Russian aggression

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania has decided to raise its spending on defense to between 5% and 6% of overall national economic output starting in 2026 due to the threat of Russian aggression in the region, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Friday. With the president's...

Japan launches independent mission to NATO as tensions with Russia, China and North Korea rise

TOKYO (AP) — Japan on Thursday formally inaugurated an independent mission to the NATO military alliance as Tokyo and NATO seek to bolster cooperation amid escalating tension from Russia, China and North Korea. Previously, the Japanese embassy in Belgium also covered NATO. The new...

Bulgaria's parliament approves new coalition government led by centre-right's Rosen Zhelyazkov

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria's parliament on Thursday formally approved a coalition government led by the center-right GERB party which has pledged to restore financial stability and maintain a pro-European Union and pro-NATO track. Lawmakers voted 125-114 to...

Marco Rubio warns China is America's 'biggest threat,' affirms value of NATO alliance

WASHINGTON (AP) — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday painted a dark vision of the consequences of America's “unbalanced relationship” with China, echoing President-elect Donald Trump's anti-globalist rhetoric as he vies to be confirmed as his secretary of state. While...

Russia's top diplomat praises Trump's views on Ukraine conflict

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat said Tuesday that Moscow is open for talks with President-elect Donald Trump and praised him for pointing to NATO's plan to embrace Ukraine as a root cause of the nearly 3-year-old conflict. Any prospective peace talks should involve broader...

NATO announces a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region after a string of incidents that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the strategic region, the alliance's leader said on Tuesday. Secretary-General Mark Rutte...

NATO chief announces launch of a new operation to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region