Live Updates | Sweden sends more military aid to Ukraine
MADRID – The latest on the last day of the NATO Summit in Madrid:
Sweden plans to send additional military support to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, support weapons and demining equipment that they say Kyiv had requested.
The hardware is worth approximately SEK 500 million ($ 49 million).
“It is important that the support for Ukraine from the democratic countries in Europe is continuous and long-term,” says Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist, according to the Swedish news agency TT.
He did not say when and how the equipment would be delivered, but said: “It is in everyone’s interest that it is delivered as quickly as possible.”
Sweden was invited to a NATO summit this week to join the Western military alliance.
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– The United States is increasing its military presence in Europe in the midst of Russia’s threat
– NATO calls Russia its “most important and direct threat”
– NATO turns to highlight Chinese “challenges” for the first time
– Explain: How did Turkey avoid vetoing Nordic NATO tenders?
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OTHER DEVELOPMENT:
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi skips the last day of the NATO summit in Madrid amid tensions in his coalition government.
Draghi’s office said the prime minister will attend a government meeting in the Italian capital on Thursday. Measures to alleviate consumers’ high energy bills and government spending top the government’s agenda.
Draghi’s sudden departure came amid tensions in his extensive coalition of units, which rallied during the covid-19 pandemic.
His predecessor, the leader of the populist 5-star movement Giuseppe Conte, has been simmering over issues including Draghi’s convincing support for more military aid to Ukraine.
The 5 stars are themselves in chaos after Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio broke with the movement last week and formed his own political group for Draghi, with a view to national elections next year.
Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini is running for Draghi in Madrid.
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Britain sends £ 1 billion ($ 1.21 billion) in military aid to Ukraine, bringing its total military and economic support since the start of the war to £ 3.8 billion.
The government said the new money is for equipment including air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare equipment.
At a NATO summit in Madrid on Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on allies to “dig deep” in support of Ukraine.
The United Kingdom is the second largest contributor of military aid to Ukraine, after the United States. It is also one of only nine of the 30 NATO members that meet the Alliance’s target of spending 2% of GDP on defense.
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NATO leaders arrive at a conference center in Madrid for the third and final day of their annual summit.
The 30-member alliance will end its talks with a working session on security issues for its southern flank, namely in unstable areas in North Africa and the Middle East.
On Wednesday, NATO countries pledged their continued support for Ukraine in its efforts to resist Russia’s invasion. It also issued an updated strategic concept, the document describing its biggest security problem for the coming decade, in which it named Russia as its main threat and added China for the first time.
NATO has also announced that it will increase its rapid reaction forces for Eastern Europe, increasing them from 40,000 to 300,000 troops ready to respond to any attacks from Russia on NATO territory.
The alliance has also paved the way for Sweden and Finland to become new members after overcoming Turkey’s fears.
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BRUSSELS – China has responded to NATO calling it a security challenge by calling the Western military alliance a “remnant of the Cold War” that “tarnishes” Beijing’s international reputation.
On Wednesday, NATO released its updated strategic concept, the document outlining its top security threats for the coming decade. While Russia was named its main threat, NATO included China for the first time.
It said China was “seeking to undermine the rule-based international order, including in the space, cyber and maritime domains”, and warned of its close ties with Moscow.
A statement released by China’s embassy to the European Union on Thursday said: “Because NATO positions China as a ‘systemic challenge’, we must pay close attention and respond in a coordinated way. As for actions that undermine China’s interests, to give firm and strong answers. “
China insisted that it promote peace through its cooperation with the UN and its foreign development projects.
The Alliance of 30 Nations called it a source of instability.
“NATO claims to be a defensive organization that maintains the rule-based international order, but it has circumvented the UN Security Council and waged war against sovereign states, created huge casualties and left tens of millions fleeing,” it said.