Latest North Atlantic Treaty Organization News
Belarus election is poised to extend the 30-year rule of 'Europe's last dictator'
The last time Belarus staged a presidential election in 2020, authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner with 80% of the vote. That triggered cries of fraud, months of protests and a harsh crackdown with thousands of arrests. Not wanting to risk such unrest...
Why meeting Trump's military spending target could be tough for NATO's lowest spender
MADRID (AP) — While Europe’s military heavyweights have already said that meeting President Donald Trump’s potential challenge to spend up to 5% of their economic output on security won't be easy, it would be an especially tall order for Spain. The eurozone’s fourth-largest...
Davos 2025: Trump leaves an impression with his video address to the World Economic Forum
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump drew pockets of laughter and a few moans with his blunt comments to an international audience while appearing by video link Thursday at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Trump's address and answers to a...
NATO chief says Russian victory over Ukraine would have a costly impact on alliance's credibility
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned on Thursday that a Russian victory over Ukraine would undermine the dissuasive force of the world’s biggest military alliance and that its credibility could cost trillions to restore. NATO has been ramping up its forces...
Marco Rubio became secretary of state without a hitch. Keeping Trump's favor may be harder
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Marco Rubio, the easy part is over. He was confirmed by the Senate as secretary of state with unanimous support, Democrats joining Republicans in praising his acumen and judgment. Now comes the task that will make or break his tenure: retaining the full...
Trump mistakes Spain for a member of the BRICS bloc and repeats the threat of massive tariffs
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump has apparently confused Spain for a member of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, causing some head-scratching and jitters over possible tariffs in Madrid. Spain is not in BRICS, whose initials stand for Brazil, Russia, India,...
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...
