On the second day of Poland's trip, Joe Biden has delivered a remark and said Putin is a 'butcher'. In a recent update, Biden said, I don't care what Putin thinks, I make no apologies for the remark.

Russia-Ukraine War: U.S. President Joe Biden stands by remarks on Putin

On the second day of Poland's trip, Joe Biden has delivered remarks from Warsaw. He said that, "this war is not worthy, Putin can and must end it".

Joe Biden delivers remarks from Warsaw, says Putin is strangling democracy & World order

On the second day of Poland's trip, Joe Biden met top ministers of Ukraine including Ukrainian finance minister and defence minister. He will address the Ukrainian refugees later today.

Joe Biden meets Ukrainian ministers on second day of Poland trip

France's foreign ministry said Friday it had summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "unacceptable" tweets issued by the embassy in Paris showing crude cartoons depicting Europe and the United States.

"These publications are unacceptable," a ministry spokesperson said after two tweets on Thursday, now deleted, that depicted kneeling Europeans licking the buttocks of a man dressed as Uncle Sam, and another showing two doctors wearing American and EU insignia injecting Europe with syringes marked "Russophobia", "Neo-Nazism" and "Sanctions."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-voa-co-production-us-president-joe-biden-meets-leaders-from-nato-g7-and-eu-465534/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"We are trying to maintain a demanding channel of dialogue with Russia and these actions are completely inappropriate."

France's European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune had slammed the cartoon post on Thursday calling it "a disgrace" in response to the drawing which had been posted earlier in the afternoon by the Twitter account of the Russia Embassy in France.

The Russian Embassy in Paris had timed its publication of the cartoon to coincide with Thursday's unprecedented triple summit in Brussels of NATO, the G7 and the European Union to discuss how to tackle Russia's war in Ukraine.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-us-sign-mega-lng-deal-in-an-attempt-to-curb-reliance-on-sanctions-hit-russia-465514" hreflang="en">EU, US sign mega LNG deal to curb reliance on sanctions-hit Russia</a>

Western leaders met in Brussels to strengthen their forces in Eastern Europe, increase military aid to Ukraine and tighten their sanctions on Russia as Moscow's assault on its neighbour entered its second month.

French President Emmanuel Macron has sought to keep dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and continues to speak regularly with him as part of efforts to get a ceasefire and begin a credible negotiation between Kyiv and Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is facing total war declared by the West.

Lavrov said at a meeting on Friday that “a real hybrid war, total war was declared on us.” He said the goal was “to destroy, break, annihilate, strangle the Russian economy, and Russia on the whole.”

During the first month of what Russia describes as a “special military operation” in Ukraine, the West imposed tough measures targeting Russia’s economy and financial system as well as President Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs.

Despite that, Lavrov said Russia was not isolated.

“We have many friends, allies, partners in the world, a huge number of associations in which Russia is working with countries of all continents, and we will continue to do so,” Lavrov said. He added that the vast majority of states won’t join the Western sanctions policy against Russia.

(With inputs from agencies)

France's foreign ministry said Friday it had summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "unacceptable" tweets issued by the embassy in Paris showing crude cartoons depicting Europe and the United States.

France's foreign ministry said Friday it had summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "unacceptable" tweets issued by the embassy in Paris showing crude cartoons depicting Europe and the United States. "These publications are unacceptable," a ministry spokesperson said after two tweets on Thursday, now deleted, that depicted kneeling Europeans licking the buttocks of a man dressed as Uncle Sam, and another showing two doctors wearing American and EU insignia injecting Europe with syringes marked "Russophobia", "Neo-Nazism" and "Sanctions." "We are trying to maintain a demanding channel of dialogue with Russia and these actions are completely inappropriate." France's European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune had slammed the cartoon post on Thursday calling it "a disgrace" in response to the drawing which had been posted earlier in the afternoon by the Twitter account of the Russia Embassy in France. The Russian Embassy in Paris had timed its publication of the cartoon to coincide with Thursday's unprecedented triple summit in Brussels of NATO, the G7 and the European Union to discuss how to tackle Russia's war in Ukraine. Also read | EU, US sign mega LNG deal to curb reliance on sanctions-hit Russia Western leaders met in Brussels to strengthen their forces in Eastern Europe, increase military aid to Ukraine and tighten their sanctions on Russia as Moscow's assault on its neighbour entered its second month. French President Emmanuel Macron has sought to keep dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and continues to speak regularly with him as part of efforts to get a ceasefire and begin a credible negotiation between Kyiv and Moscow. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is facing total war declared by the West. Lavrov said at a meeting on Friday that “a real hybrid war, total war was declared on us.” He said the goal was “to destroy, break, annihilate, strangle the Russian economy, and Russia on the whole.” During the first month of what Russia describes as a “special military operation” in Ukraine, the West imposed tough measures targeting Russia’s economy and financial system as well as President Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs. Despite that, Lavrov said Russia was not isolated. “We have many friends, allies, partners in the world, a huge number of associations in which Russia is working with countries of all continents, and we will continue to do so,” Lavrov said. He added that the vast majority of states won’t join the Western sanctions policy against Russia. (With inputs from agencies)

France summons Russian envoy over 'unacceptable' tweets that mocked Europe

The European Union signed a landmark deal with the United States to deliver liquified natural gas (LNG) to the region as it attempts to break its reliance on sanction-hit Russia.<o:p></o:p>

Under the agreement, the US will be supplying additional 15 billion cubic meters of LNG—which is equivalent to around 10 per cent of the gas imports from Russia—this year, with supplies increasing over the coming years.<o:p></o:p>

The deal was announced on Friday during a three-day visit by US President Joe Biden to Brussels.<o:p></o:p>

Last year, the EU imported around 22 billion cubic meters of LNG from US.<o:p></o:p>

Currently, Russia is responsible for about 40 per cent of the EU's gas needs.

The US will also work to supply 50 bcm of additional LNG until at least 2030, President Joe Biden announced at the press conference in Brussels.

<o:p>Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mariupol-theater-attack-may-have-claimed-300-lives-mostly-women-and-children-city-hall-465428">Mariupol theater attack may have claimed 300 lives, mostly women and children</a></o:p>

"Putin is using Russia's energy resources to coerce and manipulate its neighbours," Mr Biden told reporters in Brussels. "He's used the profits to drive his war machine."<o:p></o:p>

He said the long-term benefits of the deal would outweigh the short term pain that reducing Russian gas supplies would cause.<o:p></o:p>

"I know that eliminating Russian gas will have costs for Europe, but it's not only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, it's going to put us on a much stronger strategic footing."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-month-of-russia-ukraine-conflict-here-are-the-top-10-developments-465411">One month of Russia-Ukraine conflict: Here are the top 10 developments</a>

<o:p></o:p>

EU President von der Leyen, who was also present in the meeting, said: "We want, as Europeans, to diversify away from Russia towards suppliers that we trust that are friends and that are reliable."<o:p></o:p>

US gas supplies to the EU accounted for 6.3 per cent in the first half of 2021, the bloc's statistics agency says.

<o:p>Watch |&nbsp;Day 2 of EU Council Summit: US to provide natural gas to Europe</o:p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/day-2-of-eu-council-summit-us-to-provide-natural-gas-to-europe-465485/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

(With inputs from agencies)<o:p></o:p>

The European Union signed a landmark deal with the United States to deliver liquified natural gas (LNG) to the region as it attempts to break its reliance on sanction-hit Russia.

The European Union signed a landmark deal with the United States to deliver liquified natural gas (LNG) to the region as it attempts to break its reliance on sanction-hit Russia. Under the agreement, the US will be supplying additional 15 billion cubic meters of LNG—which is equivalent to around 10 per cent of the gas imports from Russia—this year, with supplies increasing over the coming years. The deal was announced on Friday during a three-day visit by US President Joe Biden to Brussels. Last year, the EU imported around 22 billion cubic meters of LNG from US. Currently, Russia is responsible for about 40 per cent of the EU's gas needs. The US will also work to supply 50 bcm of additional LNG until at least 2030, President Joe Biden announced at the press conference in Brussels. Also read | Mariupol theater attack may have claimed 300 lives, mostly women and children "Putin is using Russia's energy resources to coerce and manipulate its neighbours," Mr Biden told reporters in Brussels. "He's used the profits to drive his war machine." He said the long-term benefits of the deal would outweigh the short term pain that reducing Russian gas supplies would cause. "I know that eliminating Russian gas will have costs for Europe, but it's not only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, it's going to put us on a much stronger strategic footing." Also read | One month of Russia-Ukraine conflict: Here are the top 10 developments EU President von der Leyen, who was also present in the meeting, said: "We want, as Europeans, to diversify away from Russia towards suppliers that we trust that are friends and that are reliable." US gas supplies to the EU accounted for 6.3 per cent in the first half of 2021, the bloc's statistics agency says. Watch | Day 2 of EU Council Summit: US to provide natural gas to Europe (With inputs from agencies)

EU, US sign mega LNG deal in an attempt to curb reliance on sanctions-hit Russia

European leaders have assembled for 2nd day in Brussels to establish trust funds for Ukrainians. Joe Biden has also sealed the energy deal to help Europe and said that US will provide natural gas to Europe.

Day 2 of EU Council Summit: US to provide natural gas to Europe

NATO is looking to expand its forces towards central and eastern Europe, the chief of alliance said on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of a gathering of NATO leaders in Brussels, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia against using nuclear weapons, but also added that it does not seek a direct confrontation.

"I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO's posture in all domains, with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance. On land, in the air and at sea," Stoltenberg told a news conference.

He added that the decision to send forces eastward would be taken on Thursday during the NATO summit in Brussels.

NATO has sharply increased its presence at the eastern border of the alliance, with some 40,000 troops spread from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and is seeking to deploy four new combat units in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, he said.

The secretary-general also said that he expects leaders to task military commanders with looking into the alliance’s long-term options.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-us-president-biden-to-visit-poland-on-europe-trip-this-week-464181">Ukraine-Russia conflict: US President Biden to visit Poland on Europe trip this week</a>

“There is a need to reset our deterrence and defence, and I expect that to be a substantial increase in our presence for the long term,” Stoltenberg said.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden headed to Brussels on Wednesday to attend an emergency&nbsp;NATO&nbsp;Summit, address&nbsp;European Union&nbsp;leaders and hold meetings with G-7 leaders.

He will have the opportunity to coordinate on the next phase of military assistance to Ukraine, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House news conference on Tuesday.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-spies-in-poland-country-expels-45-russian-diplomats-for-espionage-464868">Russian spies in Poland?: Country expels 45 Russian diplomats for espionage</a>

According to the White House, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom are all slated to attend.

Biden has no plans to visit Ukraine, according to White House officials.

(With inputs from agencies)

NATO is looking to expand its forces towards central and eastern Europe, the chief of alliance said on Wednesday. Speaking ahead of a gathering of NATO leaders in Brussels, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia against using nuclear weapons, but also added that it does not seek a direct confrontation.

NATO is looking to expand its forces towards central and eastern Europe, the chief of alliance said on Wednesday. Speaking ahead of a gathering of NATO leaders in Brussels, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia against using nuclear weapons, but also added that it does not seek a direct confrontation. "I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO's posture in all domains, with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance. On land, in the air and at sea," Stoltenberg told a news conference. He added that the decision to send forces eastward would be taken on Thursday during the NATO summit in Brussels. NATO has sharply increased its presence at the eastern border of the alliance, with some 40,000 troops spread from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and is seeking to deploy four new combat units in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, he said. The secretary-general also said that he expects leaders to task military commanders with looking into the alliance’s long-term options. Also read | Ukraine-Russia conflict: US President Biden to visit Poland on Europe trip this week “There is a need to reset our deterrence and defence, and I expect that to be a substantial increase in our presence for the long term,” Stoltenberg said. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden headed to Brussels on Wednesday to attend an emergency NATO Summit, address European Union leaders and hold meetings with G-7 leaders. He will have the opportunity to coordinate on the next phase of military assistance to Ukraine, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House news conference on Tuesday. Also read | Russian spies in Poland?: Country expels 45 Russian diplomats for espionage According to the White House, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom are all slated to attend. Biden has no plans to visit Ukraine, according to White House officials. (With inputs from agencies)

NATO looking to boost forces in eastern Europe, says alliance chief Stoltenberg

US president Joe Biden has arrived in Brussels to highlight western partnership. He will be attending NATO, European council meetings during his visit to Europe.

US President Joe Biden arrives in Brussels, tighter sanctions against Russia likely

Amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia has made it clear that the nation will accept gas payment in Roubles. However, sanctions on Russian oil and gas left Europe divided.

Putin asks EU to pay Roubles for gas, West remains divided on oil sanctions

When the signal came over the radio that the NATO border was under attack, German tanks fanned out into the forest to stall the enemy’s advance. In short succession, men in camouflage tumbled out of the back of the tanks and took cover between the trees, assault rifles at the ready.

The battle that ensued one recent afternoon near the town of Rukla in Lithuania, 60 miles from the Russian border, was only an exercise. But since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the mission of NATO’s battlegroup in Lithuania to defend the alliance’s external border no longer feels abstract to the soldiers and the country most of them come from.

“The threat perception in Germany changed overnight,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Andrä, the commander of the 1,600-strong battlegroup in Lithuania. “We felt safe, in the middle of the continent, surrounded by friends. Now we have a full-spectrum war in Europe, and we are concerned, especially since we don’t know how far the escalation spiral will turn.”

Three days after Russia attacked Ukraine last month, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany stood in Parliament and announced the biggest rearmament program for his country since the end of the Cold War, vowing not only to increase the defense budget beyond the NATO target that Germany had failed to hit for years but to invest an immediate 100 billion euros — two full years of military spending — to turn around years of underfunding of the German military.

It was a revolution in a country whose Nazi past had long made it reluctant to invest in military power. By the end of his 30-minute speech, Scholz had overturned a ban on shipments of arms to Ukraine, backed armed drones and committed to buying new fighter jets that can drop nuclear bombs, sealing Germany’s continued role in NATO’s system of nuclear sharing.

“It is clear that we must invest much more in the security of our country, in order to protect our freedom and our democracy,” Scholz said.

When Andrä saw the news of Scholz’s pivot from his office in Rukla, he was stunned. “I didn’t believe what I was hearing,” he recalled. “All of this would have been unthinkable only four weeks ago. It was historic.”

History is never far in Europe. The last time German soldiers set up base in Lithuania was during the country’s occupation in World War II. They drove out the Soviets, rounded up and killed more than 90% of the Jewish population before, in turn, being driven out by Soviet forces.

The Soviets stayed, making Lithuania a Soviet Republic until the Soviet Union collapsed, a humiliation that Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, seeks to vindicate with his invasion of Ukraine.

So now it is the Germans who are back — this time at the Lithuanians’ invitation — to help protect against Russian aggression.

The German soldiers in Rukla were deployed in the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the first part of Ukraine that the Kremlin grabbed in 2014. Along with soldiers from seven other NATO nations, they have kept watch over their section of the alliance’s border for the past five years, welcomed by the local population and officials alike. “We want a strong Germany,” said Gen. Mindaugas Steponavicius, Lithuania’s chief of the defense staff.

For decades, Germany hung back on security matters, content to lead economically as it clung to a pacifist leaning that was forged in the wake of World War II and the Holocaust. German politicians were reluctant to talk about the military; German citizens were reluctant to hear about it. Before his pivot, Scholz himself came under fierce criticism for his seeming reluctance to get tough on Russia over Ukraine.

But Russia’s attack on Ukraine has jolted not just the German government into action — public opinion has dramatically shifted, too. Two in three Germans now support arms shipments to Ukraine and back increased military spending. In mid-February, a majority was still opposed to both.

“There is a realization that military power matters,” said Claudia Major, head of the international security division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

But if the war in Ukraine was a wake-up call, it has also exposed how weak a link the Germans still are in the NATO structure. On the morning of the Russian invasion, Gen. Alfons Mais, Germany’s chief of defense, posted a brutally honest assessment of where German capabilities were.

“In my 41st year of service in peace, I would not have thought I would have had to experience another war,” Mais wrote. “And the Bundeswehr, the army that I am allowed to lead, is more or less broke. The options we can offer policymakers to support the alliance are extremely limited.”

At the end of the Cold War, when West Germany was still a NATO front-line state on the border to the Soviet empire, it had more than 500,000 soldiers and spent 2.7% of its gross domestic product on defense. Today, the reunified Germany has 184,000 soldiers and spends just 1.5% of GDP on defense.

“The German military was starved of money for years because we had a strategic partnership with Russia, and we didn’t believe we had to defend our territory anymore,” said Major. “Our soldiers were deployed to help others, whether in Afghanistan or Mali. We were fighting wars of choice. But this is about us, and if we are returning to a paradigm of wars of necessity, you need the whole military to be operational.”

As the chancellor put it in his speech last month, “We need planes that fly, ships that sail and soldiers that are optimally equipped.”

There is a shortage of everything from protective vests to thermal underwear. Radio equipment is 30 years out of date. Only 1 in 3 warships is ready to deploy — so few that the navy worries it cannot meet all its international commitments.

Even in Rukla, the flagship German NATO mission which has relatively few complaints when it comes to resources, the general scarcity has been felt.

Some of the armored vehicles are five decades old. The radios are more than 30 years old. During international exercises in Lithuania, their equipment routinely made the German units “the weakest link in the chain,” soldiers reported to the parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces on their return from tours in Rukla.

Some in Lithuania joke that they would like some “real soldiers” protecting them. In neighboring Poland, Latvia and Estonia, the NATO battlegroups are led by Americans, Canadians and Britons, respectively.

“The German military is great; we’re so grateful to have them here,” said Laurynas Kasciunas, chair of the national security and defense Committee in Lithuania. “But we’d also like some American troops, please, combat-ready and ideally permanently.”

Short of that, the challenge, security experts say, is how to ensure that the 100 billion euros in special funds for the German military are spent fast — and wisely.

The government has already announced an order of as many as 35 F-35 fighter jets to replace Germany’s aging fleet of Tornado bombers. On Monday, the chancellor met with Germany’s top-ranking general to discuss what else should get priority on the government’s shopping list.

But it will take more than money to modernize the German military, experts and officials say. Procurement procedures are cumbersome and slow. Purchases above 25 million euros need to be approved individually by the parliamentary budget committee. Tenders cannot just be made in Germany but have to go out to the entire European Union.

“We need to reform the entire procurement bureaucracy,” Major said. “We now have a lot of money; if we don’t spend it wisely, we gain nothing.”

In Rukla, the revolution announced in Berlin last month is already being felt, Andrä said: “The few things that we didn’t have or don’t have, we are getting very fast right now.”

Hundreds of containers of ammunition have arrived. To get a reinforcement of 350 men to Rukla quickly, the defense minister had reduced their deployment time from 30 days to five.

“When we want to, we can move fast,” Andrä said. “We have shown that we are willing to do more.”

When the signal came over the radio that the NATO border was under attack, German tanks fanned out into the forest to stall the enemy’s advance. In short succession, men in camouflage tumbled out of the back of the tanks and took cover between the trees, assault rifles at the ready.

When the signal came over the radio that the NATO border was under attack, German tanks fanned out into the forest to stall the enemy’s advance. In short succession, men in camouflage tumbled out of the back of the tanks and took cover between the trees, assault rifles at the ready. The battle that ensued one recent afternoon near the town of Rukla in Lithuania, 60 miles from the Russian border, was only an exercise. But since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the mission of NATO’s battlegroup in Lithuania to defend the alliance’s external border no longer feels abstract to the soldiers and the country most of them come from. “The threat perception in Germany changed overnight,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Andrä, the commander of the 1,600-strong battlegroup in Lithuania. “We felt safe, in the middle of the continent, surrounded by friends. Now we have a full-spectrum war in Europe, and we are concerned, especially since we don’t know how far the escalation spiral will turn.” Three days after Russia attacked Ukraine last month, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany stood in Parliament and announced the biggest rearmament program for his country since the end of the Cold War, vowing not only to increase the defense budget beyond the NATO target that Germany had failed to hit for years but to invest an immediate 100 billion euros — two full years of military spending — to turn around years of underfunding of the German military. It was a revolution in a country whose Nazi past had long made it reluctant to invest in military power. By the end of his 30-minute speech, Scholz had overturned a ban on shipments of arms to Ukraine, backed armed drones and committed to buying new fighter jets that can drop nuclear bombs, sealing Germany’s continued role in NATO’s system of nuclear sharing. “It is clear that we must invest much more in the security of our country, in order to protect our freedom and our democracy,” Scholz said. When Andrä saw the news of Scholz’s pivot from his office in Rukla, he was stunned. “I didn’t believe what I was hearing,” he recalled. “All of this would have been unthinkable only four weeks ago. It was historic.” History is never far in Europe. The last time German soldiers set up base in Lithuania was during the country’s occupation in World War II. They drove out the Soviets, rounded up and killed more than 90% of the Jewish population before, in turn, being driven out by Soviet forces. The Soviets stayed, making Lithuania a Soviet Republic until the Soviet Union collapsed, a humiliation that Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, seeks to vindicate with his invasion of Ukraine. So now it is the Germans who are back — this time at the Lithuanians’ invitation — to help protect against Russian aggression. The German soldiers in Rukla were deployed in the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the first part of Ukraine that the Kremlin grabbed in 2014. Along with soldiers from seven other NATO nations, they have kept watch over their section of the alliance’s border for the past five years, welcomed by the local population and officials alike. “We want a strong Germany,” said Gen. Mindaugas Steponavicius, Lithuania’s chief of the defense staff. For decades, Germany hung back on security matters, content to lead economically as it clung to a pacifist leaning that was forged in the wake of World War II and the Holocaust. German politicians were reluctant to talk about the military; German citizens were reluctant to hear about it. Before his pivot, Scholz himself came under fierce criticism for his seeming reluctance to get tough on Russia over Ukraine. But Russia’s attack on Ukraine has jolted not just the German government into action — public opinion has dramatically shifted, too. Two in three Germans now support arms shipments to Ukraine and back increased military spending. In mid-February, a majority was still opposed to both. “There is a realization that military power matters,” said Claudia Major, head of the international security division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. But if the war in Ukraine was a wake-up call, it has also exposed how weak a link the Germans still are in the NATO structure. On the morning of the Russian invasion, Gen. Alfons Mais, Germany’s chief of defense, posted a brutally honest assessment of where German capabilities were. “In my 41st year of service in peace, I would not have thought I would have had to experience another war,” Mais wrote. “And the Bundeswehr, the army that I am allowed to lead, is more or less broke. The options we can offer policymakers to support the alliance are extremely limited.” At the end of the Cold War, when West Germany was still a NATO front-line state on the border to the Soviet empire, it had more than 500,000 soldiers and spent 2.7% of its gross domestic product on defense. Today, the reunified Germany has 184,000 soldiers and spends just 1.5% of GDP on defense. “The German military was starved of money for years because we had a strategic partnership with Russia, and we didn’t believe we had to defend our territory anymore,” said Major. “Our soldiers were deployed to help others, whether in Afghanistan or Mali. We were fighting wars of choice. But this is about us, and if we are returning to a paradigm of wars of necessity, you need the whole military to be operational.” As the chancellor put it in his speech last month, “We need planes that fly, ships that sail and soldiers that are optimally equipped.” There is a shortage of everything from protective vests to thermal underwear. Radio equipment is 30 years out of date. Only 1 in 3 warships is ready to deploy — so few that the navy worries it cannot meet all its international commitments. Even in Rukla, the flagship German NATO mission which has relatively few complaints when it comes to resources, the general scarcity has been felt. Some of the armored vehicles are five decades old. The radios are more than 30 years old. During international exercises in Lithuania, their equipment routinely made the German units “the weakest link in the chain,” soldiers reported to the parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces on their return from tours in Rukla. Some in Lithuania joke that they would like some “real soldiers” protecting them. In neighboring Poland, Latvia and Estonia, the NATO battlegroups are led by Americans, Canadians and Britons, respectively. “The German military is great; we’re so grateful to have them here,” said Laurynas Kasciunas, chair of the national security and defense Committee in Lithuania. “But we’d also like some American troops, please, combat-ready and ideally permanently.” Short of that, the challenge, security experts say, is how to ensure that the 100 billion euros in special funds for the German military are spent fast — and wisely. The government has already announced an order of as many as 35 F-35 fighter jets to replace Germany’s aging fleet of Tornado bombers. On Monday, the chancellor met with Germany’s top-ranking general to discuss what else should get priority on the government’s shopping list. But it will take more than money to modernize the German military, experts and officials say. Procurement procedures are cumbersome and slow. Purchases above 25 million euros need to be approved individually by the parliamentary budget committee. Tenders cannot just be made in Germany but have to go out to the entire European Union. “We need to reform the entire procurement bureaucracy,” Major said. “We now have a lot of money; if we don’t spend it wisely, we gain nothing.” In Rukla, the revolution announced in Berlin last month is already being felt, Andrä said: “The few things that we didn’t have or don’t have, we are getting very fast right now.” Hundreds of containers of ammunition have arrived. To get a reinforcement of 350 men to Rukla quickly, the defense minister had reduced their deployment time from 30 days to five. “When we want to, we can move fast,” Andrä said. “We have shown that we are willing to do more.”

Germany is ready to lead militarily. Its military is not.

Amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia has made it clear that Russia will accept gas payment in Roubles. Putin said, "We won't accept compromised currencies".

Ukraine-Russia conflict: Putin says Russia to only take gas payments in Roubles

Amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, NATO warned China against giving military help to Russia and chemical weapons use. On the other side, NATO is ready to deploy 4 battle groups in east Europe.

Russia-Ukraine Crisis: NATO bolsters defences in east Europe

US president Joe Biden has departed Washington for a high-stakes presidential trip to Europe to attend a string of emergency summits later this week, heading to Brussels.

Joe Biden on a high-stakes trip, multiple summits & meetings lined up

Covid cases are increasing in western Europe, France has reported 90,000 average daily cases of coronavirus. WHO said that Europe has lifted curbs too brutally and experts blamed the surge on a mix of lifting curbs & BA.2 variant.

Coronavirus cases surge in western Europe, France reports 90,000 average daily Covid-19 cases

It is day 26 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine. Over 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine, triggering a refugee crisis.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Refugee arrivals continue across Europe as the conflict enters day 26

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Zelensky said, "Russia is a threat to Europe." He called on swiss banks to freeze Russian assets.

Ukraine-Russia crisis: Kyiv seeks global support against Moscow

The war in Ukraine has exposed the East-West rift within Europe. Palki Sharma explains the 3 factors that are driving this division.

Gravitas: Russia’s war exposes rifts in Europe

The European Space Agency (ESA) has said that a joint Mars mission with Russia has been suspended over Ukraine war.

"We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine," the agency said as it confirmed the suspension of the ExoMars mission.

The decision to suspend cooperation with Roscosmos was taken by ESA's ruling council, at a meeting this week in Paris.

"We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine,? an ESA statement said.

"While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its member states."

Because of their respective orbits around the Sun, Mars is only readily reachable from Earth every two years. The next launch window would be 2024.

The rover's primary mission was to have been determining whether Mars ever hosted life.

The ExoMars mission has already been pushed back from 2020, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the need for more tests on the spacecraft.

The mission was to have blasted off on a Russian Proton-M rocket from the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan in September, and had been scheduled to land on the red planet some nine months later.

Already on Mars are NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed in February 2021, and China's first Mars rover, Zhurong, named after the Chinese god of fire

(With inputs from agencies)

The European Space Agency (ESA) has said that a joint Mars mission with Russia has been suspended over Ukraine war. "We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine," the agency said as it confirmed the suspension of the ExoMars mission.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has said that a joint Mars mission with Russia has been suspended over Ukraine war. "We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine," the agency said as it confirmed the suspension of the ExoMars mission. The decision to suspend cooperation with Roscosmos was taken by ESA's ruling council, at a meeting this week in Paris. "We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine,? an ESA statement said. "While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its member states." Because of their respective orbits around the Sun, Mars is only readily reachable from Earth every two years. The next launch window would be 2024. The rover's primary mission was to have been determining whether Mars ever hosted life. The ExoMars mission has already been pushed back from 2020, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the need for more tests on the spacecraft. The mission was to have blasted off on a Russian Proton-M rocket from the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan in September, and had been scheduled to land on the red planet some nine months later. Already on Mars are NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed in February 2021, and China's first Mars rover, Zhurong, named after the Chinese god of fire (With inputs from agencies)

Joint Euro-Russian Mars mission suspended because of Ukraine conflict: ESA

With the Russia-Ukraine crisis in foresight, the US and Europe fear that Chinese President Xi Jinping will take the opportunity to attack Taiwan.The start of Russia's "military operation" last month has pushed Taiwan to the forefront of geopolitics again.

While the western countries are afraid that Taiwan will face the same situation as Ukraine, the leaders of both the country (Taiwan and China) insisted that Taiwan and Ukraine are not on the same platform, American editorial magazine National Review reported.

On the other hand, Beijing stated that Taiwan is their internal matter and linking it to Ukraine would only add this matter to the western developed conspiracy "democracy against dictatorship". While Taipei emphasizes that they are different from Ukraine in terms of its geostrategic and global supply-chain importance.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/imitation-the-sincerest-form-of-flattery-french-president-discards-suits-dons-sweatshirt-copying-zelensky-462399">&nbsp;Imitation, the sincerest form of flattery: French President discards suits, dons sweatshirt. Copying Zelensky?</a>

Russia started its military operation in Ukraine on the grounds of protecting its people from the so-called "genocide" in Ukraine, NATO's expansion to the east and the need to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.

The Washington-based magazine argues these justifications as an excuse for their aggression against Ukraine. The editorial claimed that Xi is an accomplice to Putin's war of aggression.

It says that the Chinese President has greatly increased his military intimidation of Taiwan since coming to power. On the same day that Putin started its military operation in Ukraine, nine Chinese military planes were seen inside Taiwan, violating Taiwan's air-defence identification zone, according to National Review.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/taiwan-confirms-chinese-military-plane-crashed-into-south-china-sea-461836">Taiwan confirms Chinese military plane crashed into South China Sea</a>

The editorial magazine also believes that China will attack Taiwan, regardless of the outcome of the Ukraine-Russia crisis. It further added that there are high chances of Xi launching its military operation in Taiwan. The Chinese President has already ordered his military to accelerate war preparation by achieving the People's Liberation Army's centenary goal of "liberating Taiwan" by 2027, National Review reported.

The National Review also stated that the US and other western countries need to be firm and clear in their resolve to defend Taiwan. And China's one-China policy needs to be abandoned so that the sovereignty of Taiwan won't be impacted.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Ukraine, Russia optimistic about round 4 of talks

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-ukraine-russia-optimistic-about-round-4-of-talks-462334/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The U.S. passed the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979 after cutting off their diplomatic ties with China, promising that the US would "maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan," and subsequently than US President Reagan made "six assurances" and called for arms sales for Taiwan's defence.

However, these are not binding obligations under international law, but rather unilateral commitments, according to National Review.

With the Russia-Ukraine crisis in foresight, the US and Europe fear that Chinese President Xi Jinping will take the opportunity to attack Taiwan.The start of Russia's "military operation" last month has pushed Taiwan to the forefront of geopolitics again.

With the Russia-Ukraine crisis in foresight, the US and Europe fear that Chinese President Xi Jinping will take the opportunity to attack Taiwan.The start of Russia's "military operation" last month has pushed Taiwan to the forefront of geopolitics again. While the western countries are afraid that Taiwan will face the same situation as Ukraine, the leaders of both the country (Taiwan and China) insisted that Taiwan and Ukraine are not on the same platform, American editorial magazine National Review reported. On the other hand, Beijing stated that Taiwan is their internal matter and linking it to Ukraine would only add this matter to the western developed conspiracy "democracy against dictatorship". While Taipei emphasizes that they are different from Ukraine in terms of its geostrategic and global supply-chain importance. Also read | Imitation, the sincerest form of flattery: French President discards suits, dons sweatshirt. Copying Zelensky? Russia started its military operation in Ukraine on the grounds of protecting its people from the so-called "genocide" in Ukraine, NATO's expansion to the east and the need to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine. The Washington-based magazine argues these justifications as an excuse for their aggression against Ukraine. The editorial claimed that Xi is an accomplice to Putin's war of aggression. It says that the Chinese President has greatly increased his military intimidation of Taiwan since coming to power. On the same day that Putin started its military operation in Ukraine, nine Chinese military planes were seen inside Taiwan, violating Taiwan's air-defence identification zone, according to National Review. Also read | Taiwan confirms Chinese military plane crashed into South China Sea The editorial magazine also believes that China will attack Taiwan, regardless of the outcome of the Ukraine-Russia crisis. It further added that there are high chances of Xi launching its military operation in Taiwan. The Chinese President has already ordered his military to accelerate war preparation by achieving the People's Liberation Army's centenary goal of "liberating Taiwan" by 2027, National Review reported. The National Review also stated that the US and other western countries need to be firm and clear in their resolve to defend Taiwan. And China's one-China policy needs to be abandoned so that the sovereignty of Taiwan won't be impacted. Watch | Gravitas: Ukraine, Russia optimistic about round 4 of talks The U.S. passed the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979 after cutting off their diplomatic ties with China, promising that the US would "maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan," and subsequently than US President Reagan made "six assurances" and called for arms sales for Taiwan's defence. However, these are not binding obligations under international law, but rather unilateral commitments, according to National Review.

Amid Ukraine crisis, US, Europe fears possible Chinese offensive against Taiwan

Russia has quit the council of Europe which is the continent's leading human rights watchdog this comes as the country was expecting expulsion as it continues invasion of Ukraine. Russia's decision comes hours before members were due to vote on the country's expulsion from the group which could have had concrete consequences.

Russia quits council of Europe before facing expulsion

Now Russia has quit the council of Europe which is the continent's leading human rights watchdog. This came up when the country was expecting expulsion as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine war: Russia quits council of Europe before vote on expulsion

Potential invasion has plunged Europe's far right into an identity crisis they are struggling to justify their loyalty to Putin. With the public's overwhelming solidarity with Kyiv from Germany to France to Italy the far right has now condemned the assault openly denouncing the violence in Ukraine.

Europe's far-right denounces Russia-Ukraine war but blames West

Europe is the new hotspot for armed imports as per the global arms trade report. The continent saw the world's biggest rise in arms imports in the past five years.

Europe's arms import jumps amid tensions, emerges as new hotspot: Report

In Europe, carmakers including Volkswagen and BMW are scrambling to find alternative sources of vital parts. There are reports that China and Mexico can come for rescue.

Carmakers scramble for new supplies, now who will come for rescue?

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