Far-right leader Bardella backpedals on taking France out of NATO strategic military command

VILLEPINTE, France (AP) — The far-right leader angling to become prime minister after France’s upcoming parliamentary election backtracked Wednesday on his party’s previous promise to pull out of NATO’s strategic military command. National Rally President Jordan Bardella said...

Dutch leader Mark Rutte clears a big hurdle to becoming NATO chief after Hungary lifts objections

BRUSSELS (AP) — Hungary on Tuesday lifted its veto on Mark Rutte becoming the next head of NATO after the outgoing Dutch prime minister gave written guarantees that he would not force the country to take part in the military alliance’s new plans to provide support to Ukraine. ...

Thousands of NATO troops join drills in the strategically sensitive Baltic Sea region

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Some 9,000 troops from 20 NATO countries have been participating this month in military exercises in the Baltic Sea region, which has become strategically sensitive following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sweden, which had joined the drills in the past, took...

A record number of NATO allies are hitting their defense spending target during war in Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — A record 23 of NATO's 32 member nations are hitting the Western military alliance’s defense spending target this year, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, as Russia's war in Ukraine has raised the threat of expanding conflict in Europe. The...

NATO says a record of more than 20 allies are expected to hit alliance's target for defense spending this year

Putin offers truce if Ukraine exits Russian-claimed areas and drops NATO bid. Kyiv rejects it

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Friday to “immediately” order a cease-fire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv began withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounced plans to join NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected what he...

Canada's defense investment plans put it on track to meet NATO guideline, minister says

BRUSSELS (AP) — Canada looks on track to meet NATO’s military spending guideline by the end of the decade, Defense Minister Bill Blair said Friday, notably by boosting investment in the Arctic near its shared border with Russia as the region warms quickly because of climate change. ...

NATO approves a plan to speed security aid and training to Ukraine's beleaguered armed forces

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO defense ministers on Friday approved a plan to provide reliable long-term security aid and military training for Ukraine after delays in Western deliveries of funds, arms and ammunition helped invading Russian forces to seize the initiative on the battlefield. ...

Putin promises a cease-fire in Ukraine if Kyiv withdraws troops from occupied regions and renounces plans to join NATO

1,000 days have passed since the Taliban barred girls from secondary education, the UN says

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A thousand days have passed since girls in Afghanistan were banned from attending secondary schools, according to the U.N. children’s agency, which said Thursday that “no country can move forward when half its population is left behind.” UNICEF Executive...