Southern and Southeastern Europe

Portugal Escorts Russian Ship From Its Waters

By AFP and BBC

From AFP:  The Portugese Navy escorted a Russian oceanographic ship out of its waters Wednesday in response to the latest in a series of territorial incursions by a Russian vessel or plane.

Ukraine, ISIS Wars Increase Europe’s Risks in the Western Balkans

By James Rupert

Albania’s Defense Minister: NATO, EU Should Focus on Dangers in Five Ex-Yugoslav States Europe’s peace is at risk from the wars in Ukraine, Syria and Iraq—and nowhere more than in the Balkans, where several states of the former Yugoslavia form the weakest spot in Europe’s security structures.

Putin’s Balkan Gambit

By Damon Wilson

Buoyed by Successes in Europe’s East, Russia’s Leader Turns His Gaze to Serbia and Its Neighbors Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine aims to deny that nation a European future, partly by closing the door permanently to membership in NATO or the European Union. Putin’s aims, however, are not limited to extending a Russian […]

Defense Minister: Germany Unable to Meet NATO Commitments

By Deutsche Welle and AP

From Deutsche Welle:  Germany could not currently fulfill its NATO commitments in the event of an attack on a member of the alliance, owing in part to severe backlogs in replacement parts for its aircraft.

Spain to Replace Dutch in Turkey Patriot Missile Deployment

Spain will send a Patriot anti-ballistic missile battery to Turkey’s southern border with Syria as part of a NATO initiative, Defence Minister Pedro Morenes said on Wednesday, replacing the Netherlands’ contribution to the deployment.

Special Summit Series: Spain, Portugal, and NATO

By Jorge Benitez

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the Russia/Ukraine crisis as “the gravest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War.”

Which Members Oppose Greater NATO Military Presence in Eastern Allies?

By Editors of the Financial Times

The obvious answer is for Nato to bolster its military presence in the east, thereby signalling to Moscow that an attack there would indeed be treated as an attack on the whole alliance.