Budapest, May 27 (IANS) Hungary’s National Assembly on Wednesday voted under a special procedure on a bill to revoke the country’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The bill was approved with 133 votes in favour, 37 against and five abstentions. The decision will take effect on the day following the promulgation of the law.The Hungarian government said in an official gazette on May 22 that it would revoke the decision to withdraw from the ICC, as well as terminate…
Latest NATO News & Updates
Moscow, May 22 (IANS) Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Friday condemned the Ukrainian armed forces’ attack on a college in Starobilsk in Luhansk, local media reported.During his meeting with graduates of the ‘Time of Heroes’ programme, Putin said that the “‘Neo-Nazi regime that seized power in Kyiv” conducted a “terrorist attack” on a student dormitory, Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency reported.Putin emphasised that the attack happened at night, when the students were sleeping.T…
Washington, May 22 (IANS) Nato allies must urgently expand defence production and protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said after talks in Sweden. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Nato Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Helsingborg on Thursday ahead of the alliance summit scheduled in Ankara later this year.The discussions focused on defence spending, military production, Iran and maritime security.Ru…
Stockholm, May 22 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Iran imposing tolls for transit in the Strait of Hormuz is “simply unacceptable” and “cannot happen”. If this were to occur in the Strait of Hormuz, he said during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden’s Helsingborg, then it would also happen in five other places around the world.”Why shouldn’t countries around the world say ‘we want to do that too?’ Not to mention how vital and crucial that Strait is for ever…
Stockholm, May 22 (IANS) Italy’s support for Ukraine’s full European Union membership is unwavering, but work must be done with Ukraine to “lay the groundwork” allowing the country to complete the bloc’s rigorous accession process, especially in the area of combatting corruption, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday.“We are in favour of Ukraine joining the EU as a full member, but we must lay the groundwork to achieve this goal,” Tajani told reporters on the sidelines of a NA…
Minsk, May 21 (IANS) Belarus summoned Lithuania’s Charge d’Affaires Erikas Vilkanecas to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday after a Ukrainian military drone launched from Lithuanian territory violated Belarusian airspace.During a meeting with Vilkanecas, Belarusian officials condemned repeated border violations, saying a “Chaika” drone, initially targeting Russian sites, was detected in the country’s north near Stanislavtsy in the Vitebsk region on Sunday, Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesperson …
Washington, May 21 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Thursday said there were “good signs” in ongoing negotiations with Iran but cautioned against excessive optimism, saying President Donald Trump still retained “other options” if diplomacy failed. Speaking to reporters in Miami before departing for India with a stopover in Europe, Rubio said the administration continued to prefer a negotiated settlement over confrontation.“The president’s preference is to do a good deal,” Rub…
Washington, May 20 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to India from May 23-26, visiting Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi, as Washington and New Delhi prepare for talks expected to focus on the Quad partnership, energy security, trade and defence cooperation amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East.The State Department announced Rubio’s travel plans on Tuesday, saying he would first travel to Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22 to attend the NATO…
Moscow, May 19 (IANS) Russia will take the strengthening of NATO’s overall nuclear potential into account in its military planning, the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister said on Tuesday.”We cannot ignore the obvious strengthening of the nuclear component of NATO’s overall potential, which is in fact occurring as a result of Europe’s efforts to develop its own nuclear capabilities in addition to the US’s corresponding ‘umbrella,'” Sergei Ryabkov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, was quoted as say…
Washington, May 15 (IANS) The West Asia conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran has destabilised the security architecture in the region with far-reaching and unpredictable consequences. For years, the Gulf countries had depended on the US for their security, hosting American bases on their soil and procuring expensive US weaponry. However, Iranian attacks on these bases during the conflict raised questions over the effectiveness of US air defence systems, which have not delivered …