Europe

Advisers for the US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump have suggested increasing the defense spending target for NATO members to 3% of GDP, Bloomberg has reported, citing unnamed sources. The revelation comes as many members of the US-led bloc have recently struggled to reach the current 2% goal.

A high-level EU foreign affairs summit scheduled for August will be moved from Hungary to Brussels, the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has stated.

Israel is dispatching armed agents from its internal security service, Shin Bet, to the French capital Paris to organize the largest-ever security operation for its Olympic athletes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, on the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and reassured him of Moscow’s support for the Arab country’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

Brussels-based depositary and clearing house Euroclear has confirmed that it will confiscate interest generated by the frozen Russian funds that it holds and will transfer the money to Kiev.

A court in Russia has sentenced American journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison for espionage. It's the most high-profile case against a Western journalist since the Cold War.

Egypt's Suez Canal has reported a 23.4-percent drop in revenues attributed to disruptions in Red Sea shipping over the past year, marked by Yemeni Houthis' attacks on Israeli-linked vessels.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has reiterated the bloc's rejection of labeling the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) as a "terrorist organization".

Several European states are considering reopening their embassies in Afghanistan in a move that would entail diplomatic recognition of the Taliban almost three years after the fall of Kabul, people familiar with the matter have claimed.

As many as 44% of Ukrainians believe that it is time to launch peace talks with Russia, according to the Razumkov Center's survey commissioned by the Mirror of the week newspaper.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that he expects Russia to attend the second conference on Ukraine, which is scheduled to be held in November.

The European Union has imposed sanctions against five extremist Israeli settlers and three entities for “serious and systematic human rights abuses” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The Russian government sought to blame the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump this weekend on the political environment under the Joe Biden administration and said it was an example of the failures of American democracy and “liberalism".

Chinese and Russian naval forces have started joint military drills in the Pacific, the Defense Ministry in Beijing has announced.

Kiev’s plot to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin was financed by the United States, Moscow's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has claimed.

Russia is aware of the dangers coming from Ukraine, including its threats to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has stated.

Moscow has enough capabilities to counter such hostile moves by Washington as its just-announced deployment of new missiles to Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated.

NATO believes that its support to Ukraine, agreed at the Washington summit, will not allow Kiev to launch a counteroffensive until at least the end of the year, The New York Times newspaper reported on Friday, citing the alliance's officials.

Washington has changed its policy and may authorize the use of its weapons deep inside Russia, US Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh has stated.

The Kremlin fired back at U.S. President Joe Biden over his comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin during his press conference after the NATO summit in Washington, calling the American leader’s remarks “absolutely unacceptable".

Russia is planning "response measures" to contain the "very serious threat" from NATO, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated.

NATO leaders have pledged to provide Ukraine with at least $43bn in military aid within the next year to enhance its defense against Russia and formally declared Kyiv on an “irreversible path” to membership in the Western military alliance.

American-made F-16 fighter jets are on their way to Ukraine, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, announcing the follow through of a key commitment years in the making.

A US military pier, built two months ago as a way to bring seaborne humanitarian aid into Gaza, is to be permanently dismantled within a few days, according to a new report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is mulling a layover in Europe during his trip to Washington later this month, despite concerns over an arrest warrant application from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the Gaza war, according to local media.