As much as $35 billion in new military aid have been pledged by allies to Ukraine to strengthen its air defenses after a series of massive Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure and civilian targets. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/13/world/politics/ukraine-military-aid-pledges/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #nato #defense #ukraine #russiaukrainewar
NATO will bolster its Arctic presence with a new mission after U.S. President Donald Trump triggered an alliance crisis over his attempts to take Greenland. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/12/world/nato-arctic-mission-trump-greenland/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #nato #arctic #greenland #us #donaldtrump #republicans #denmark
The global rise of "wrecking-ball politics" will be the focus of this week's Munich Security Conference, organizers said, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio set to lead a large U.S. delegation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/10/world/politics/wrecking-ball-politics-munich/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #munich #germany #eu #europe #defense #us #donaldtrump #nato #ukraine #russia #russiaukrainewar #vladimirputin
Trump’s record of reversals, hostility to institutional constraints and indifference to sacrifice convinces adversaries and allies alike that U.S. commitments will not hold. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/09/world/trump-kills-american-deterrence/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #donaldtrump #usdefense #tariffs #ukraine #china #indopacific #taiwan #elbridgecolby #cia #xijinping #nato #afghanistan #denmark #greenland #vladimirputin #russia
The central question for Japan is no longer whether its past support was justified, but whether it can be sustained. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/06/japan/japans-support-for-ukraine/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #russiaukrainewar #ukraine #russia #ukrainejapanrelations #aid #sanctions #g7 #nato #defense
The option being talked about — whispered, actually — is the nuclear option. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/05/japan/the-list-of-japanese-security-options/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #markcarney #us #indopacific #shigeruishiba #defense #nato #sdf #usjapanrelations #donaldtrump #china #taiwan #sanaetakaichi #nuclearweapons
The U.S. president is animated less by the prospect of deal-making than by the need for domination, less by the spirit of exchange than by the perverse pleasure of exalting himself. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/03/world/appeasing-trump-only-invites-betrayal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #us #donaldtrump #greenland #europe #nato #denmark #usdenmarkrelations #defense #trade
Tom
boosted
Russian hackers breached Polish power grid thanks to bad security, report says
““All of the attacks were purely destructive in nature — by analogy to the physical world, they can be compared to deliberate acts of arson,” read the report.”
#Grid #Electricity #Renewables #Russia #Poland #EUDefence #NATO #EU #EUPol #Geopolitics #Infosec
Historians’ rankings of America’s best and worst foreign-policy decisions show the U.S. succeeded when it led cooperatively through multilateral institutions and failed when it turned inward or went rogue. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/02/world/best-and-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #marshallplan #nato #un #brettonwoods #worldbank #imf #gatt #wto #treatyofversailles #parisagreement #monroedoctrine #donroedoctrine #iraqinvasion #donaldtrump
Russian hackers breached Polish power grid thanks to bad security, report says
““All of the attacks were purely destructive in nature — by analogy to the physical world, they can be compared to deliberate acts of arson,” read the report.”
#Grid #Electricity #Renewables #Russia #Poland #EUDefence #NATO #EU #EUPol #Geopolitics #Infosec
A European crisis fund with more than €430 billion ($514 billion) of firepower could lend money to countries for defense, the head of the European Stability Mechanism said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/01/world/european-crisis-fund-defense/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #europe #eu #defense #russia #ukraine #russiaukrainewar #nato #donaldtrump #us
When the war in Ukraine broke out, and Europe was hesitant in the first year, I thought alright, this is a surprise to everyone and of course we need time to prepare.
Now 4 years have passed, and we are 450 million EU and 69 million UK citizens still standing on the sidelines, telling 38 million Ukrainians they should fight 133 million Russians on their own.
We could end this war. Instead we keep pretending that it is fine to let Ukraine take all the punches.
I find that profoundly shameful.
💯
"Willing countries" of #NATO need to be doing two things right now:
1) putting troops at Ukrainian energy site as human shields against Russian attacks
2) putting air power in Ukraine and directly providing air defence for the country away from the front lines.
Both are totally defensive measures that protect civilians, defend against war crimes and help Ukraine focus on fighting back.
Japan is boosting defense spending and deepening U.K. ties to strengthen deterrence and stability amid declining U.S. reliability in the Indo-Pacific, a necessary and positive development. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/29/world/revamping-japan-uk-strategic-architecture/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #ukjapanrelations #us #defense #nato #indopacific #uk #hmsprinceofwales #gcap #italy
French President Emmanuel Macron said a standoff with the United States over Greenland was "a strategic wake-up call for all of Europe" as he hosted the leaders of Denmark and the Danish autonomous territory for talks. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/29/world/politics/greenland-europe-macron/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #france #emmanuelmacron #us #greenland #nato #eu #europe #mettefrederiksen #jensfrederiknielsen
Alex Akselrod
boosted
⚠️🇺🇦Death of seahorses reported on Black Sea coast in Odesa possibly due to Russia’s ecocide oil contamination (more) https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-other_news/4085317-death-of-seahorses-reported-on-black-sea-coast-in-odesa.html #Ukraine #Poland #Warsaw #Netherlands #Norway #Sweden #Estonia #Latvia #Lithuania #Paris #Rome #London #Berlin #Canada #Finland #Brussels #Denmark #Germany #ICC #France #Italy #Cyprus #PACE #CoE #SouthKorea #Press #News #Taiwan #Media #Japan #USA #US #UK #EU #NATO #UnitedStates #UnitedKingdom #EuropeanUnion #Czechia #Romania #Austria
#RussiaIsATerroristState
⚠️🇺🇦Death of seahorses reported on Black Sea coast in Odesa possibly due to Russia’s ecocide oil contamination (more) https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-other_news/4085317-death-of-seahorses-reported-on-black-sea-coast-in-odesa.html #Ukraine #Poland #Warsaw #Netherlands #Norway #Sweden #Estonia #Latvia #Lithuania #Paris #Rome #London #Berlin #Canada #Finland #Brussels #Denmark #Germany #ICC #France #Italy #Cyprus #PACE #CoE #SouthKorea #Press #News #Taiwan #Media #Japan #USA #US #UK #EU #NATO #UnitedStates #UnitedKingdom #EuropeanUnion #Czechia #Romania #Austria
#RussiaIsATerroristState
Mark Carney’s Davos speech warned that a Trump-led rupture in the global order leaves middle powers to act collectively and diversify away from U.S. dependence, with Japan uniquely exposed. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/28/world/the-age-of-middle-powers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #canada #markcarney #us #donaldtrump #davos #greenland #nato #davos #middlepowers
Billy Smith
and 1 other
boosted
How would Europe cope with a departure of the US from NATO?
As Carlo Masala (BundeswehrU, Munich) argues, fully substituting for the US capabilities in NATO may be the wrong immediate objective; 'It’s not about being as good as the US, which will take us 15 years or even longer. It is just being better than the Russians'!
Framed like this, while the US leaving NATO would be undoubtedly difficult, the immediate problem(s) may be a little less daunting?
How would Europe cope with a departure of the US from NATO?
As Carlo Masala (BundeswehrU, Munich) argues, fully substituting for the US capabilities in NATO may be the wrong immediate objective; 'It’s not about being as good as the US, which will take us 15 years or even longer. It is just being better than the Russians'!
Framed like this, while the US leaving NATO would be undoubtedly difficult, the immediate problem(s) may be a little less daunting?