Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has become the new Secretary General of NATO. With Russia’s war against Ukraine raging on and Donald Trump’s possible return to the US White House, Rutte faces a tough balancing act between the military alliance’s 32 members and other international partners such as the European Union.
Georgia’s parliament has adopted its controversial “foreign agents” law, despite intense protests in the country. EU and NATO officials, including two European Commissioners, also heavily criticised the law.
More than two years into Moscow’s war against its neighbour, Ukraine, Kiev’s troops are struggling to hold back the Russian army as Western deliveries of weapons have faltered.
One hundred years after Kemal Atatürk proclaimed the Turkish Republic, the country is trying to balance between east and west. Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to leave his mark on the destiny of the country to the detriment of its illustrious founder by imposing the idea of a “Century of Turkey”.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for the behaviour of Iran, a long-time supporter of Hamas, to be monitored. At a NATO meeting in Brussels, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, defence ministers seek to increase support for Ukraine. Brussels warned the online platform Meta of a rise in false information.