Macron's BLOW to NATO amid plans to 'team up' with Russia's defence

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has urged European states to work with Russia and construct new security architecture, in a bid to strengthen defense capabilities within the European Union.

On Thursday, Mr Macron told a joint news conference in Helsinki the EU must rebuild European security architecture and "reconsider" relations with Russia, as well as pursue "strategic relations" with Turkey and other neighbouring countries.

The French President said: "We discussed many issues, including trans-Atlantic ties and relations with Russia,

"We want Europe to have strategic and defense autonomy to rebuild European security architecture in a broad sense, like I said several months ago in St. Petersburg, and there is the need to reconsider our relations with Russia."

"This wider Europe should build its security architecture with the powers, which are on its border, and the great nations, which share history with us."

Mr Macron has urged the EU to develop its own defence capabilities, in addition to its current alliance with NATO.

In July, US President Donald Trump threatened to pull out of NATO if member states fail to increase military spending.

His announcement wreaked havoc amongst member states, who expressed concerns over how they will deal with Russia if Washington were to withdraw from the alliance.

Mr Macron told the news conference: “It is in our interest for the EU to have a strategic relationship with Turkey as well as with Russia that brings stability, that will in the long term and bring more strength and coherency.

"I think that on matters like cybersecurity, defence, strategic relationships, we could envisage the outlines of a new relationship between Russia and the EU which is coherent with the direction Europe is headed in.

"Stability in the whole region is in our interest."

The French President added the EU's relations with Russia must be "brought up to date".

He declared hopes to see a shift in Russia's stance towards the Minsk accords - which aims to bring peace to eastern Ukraine - before establishing any partnership with Moscow.

Finnish President Sauli Niinston said: "Russia wants closer economic ties with Europe. But we can't do that while the Ukraine question remains open."

Source: www.express.co.uk

Comments

US, Russia remain at ‘impasse’ over Open Skies treaty flights

WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia continue to be at odds with each other over a military verification treaty, to the point where no flights have been conducted in 2018. The latest issue with the Open Skies Treaty came to light earlier this week, with Russian officials saying the U.S. has refused to clear its planes for overflight of U.S. territory. Under the treaty, 34 countries, including both the U.S. and Russia, agree to allow unarmed surveillance flights over their territory to provide information gathering about military forces. “In breach of the Open Skies Treaty provisions, the head of the U.S. delegation refused to sign the final document, without giving any explanations or reasons, and citing direct instructions from Washington,” said Sergei Ryzhkov, the chief of Russia’s Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, according to the Tass news agency. “We insist that the U.S. side return to the Open Skies Treaty framework and demand that the current situat...

Dutch defense chief opens door for more F-35s

Visitors examine a replica of the Dutch F-35C Lightning II joint striker fighter aircraft during the Dutch Air Force Days at Leeuwarden Air Base in Leeuwarden on June 10, 2016. (Photo credit Vincent Jannink/AFP/Getty Images) COLOGNE, Germany – Dutch defense minister Ank Bijleveld has eliminated the country’s budget cap for F-35 purchases, opening the possibility of buying more planes in the future, a spokesman confirmed to Defense News. The defense ministry spokesman described the move as “just a formality” that would not require parliamentary approval, as the Dutch objective of buying 37 copies of the Lockheed Martin-made jet for €4.7 billion remains in place. But it means “we leave the option open to buy new planes” beyond those already envisioned in the budget, the spokesman said. The development was first reported by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, which wrote that the air force was angling to eventually get 67 aircraft. That amount would be enough to field fou...

MBDA unveils Spectre combat UAV concept

MBDA’s Spectre combat UAV concept firing the Enforcer lightweight guided weapon system. Source: MBDA MBDA in the United Kingdom has unveiled a new combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) concept designed to provide on-call, low-cost organic precision effects close air support for forward-deployed land forces. Spectre is a tilt wing, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) combat air system concept capable of quickly transitioning to forward flight mode for rapid traversal over complex terrain at low altitude. Designed with an integrated modular payload bay capable of incorporating systems up to 25 kg, Spectre can be equipped with either two MBDA Enforcers or a single Missile Moyenne Portee (MMP) multirole weapons system to address light armoured, soft-skinned and unmanned threats, or heavier armoured threats. The Spectre system can ‘find and fix’ beyond line-of-sight threats in complex operational environments to assist deployed ground forces. It also incorporates a ‘wat...

World Defense News

Search This Blog