With tensions between NATO and Russia rising, the U.S. military is resurrecting a fleet to patrol the Atlantic Ocean and help respond to global contingencies. The U.S. Second Fleet will provide forces along the U.S. coast and in the northern Atlantic Ocean, according to Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson, who made the announcement Friday during a change of command ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia.
Twelve hours after being sworn in U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went straight to NATO headquarters in Brussels in what European allies saw as strong support for an institution that U.S. President Donald Trump once called obsolete.
Diplomatic tensions between the UK and Russia deepened amid claims that Moscow was blocking investigators from reaching the site of a chemical weapons attack in Syria. The UK said it was “essential” the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was granted “unfettered access” to Douma.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been arrested on Tuesday at west of Paris as part of an investigation that revealed he received millions of euros in illegal financing from the regime of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2007.
Belgian security forces shot dead a would-be suicide bomber around 9 p.m. local time Tuesday in Brussels' central train station, which was evacuated following a small but fiery blast, in what is being treated as a new case of terrorism. Apart from the attacker, there were no other casualties, it was reported.
United States President Donald Trump has expressed his commitment to NATO and bilateral cooperation with Spain during a telephone call with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a media report said on Wednesday. They also discussed the fight against the terrorist group Islamic State (IS), and Spain's role as potential bridge with Latin American countries and Europe.
In his first meeting with a foreign leader, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of the two nations' “special relationship,” and British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed, mentioning common economic interests and shared values, but pointedly saying the new president had pledged he is “100 percent” behind NATO.
Minister Theresa May spoke on Tuesday with President-elect Donald Trump about building close UK-US relationships and about the role of NATO. A Downing Street spokesperson said ”the Prime Minister called the US President-elect this afternoon as part of establishing a regular dialogue between both of them.
Russia has withdrawn a request to refuel its warships in Ceuta, after Spain became the subject of international criticism, from the NATO secretary general among others. Spain had recently signed statements accusing Russia of war crimes in Syria, where it’s believed the ships are headed.
The Czech government has no intention of holding any referendum on European Union or NATO membership, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka's office said in a statement, a week after Britain's surprise vote to leave the bloc.