NATO–Russia relations

WASHINGTON - Using US military articles provided to NATO allies for "non-legitimate military purposes" could trigger the suspension or cancellation of all or part of the delivery of the equipment, according to the final draft of a letter of assurances written by the US Department of State, at the demand of the US Congress in the context of negotiations during the NATO Summit at Vilnius, Lithuan

The letter of assurances sent by the US State Department to Congress foresees the suspension or cancellation of all or part of the delivery of defense items provided to a NATO ally if those defense articles are used for non-legitimate military purposes.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday that 18 of the alliance's 31 countries are set to meet the defence spending target of two percent of gross domestic product in 2024.

The release of the new estimates came after Donald Trump rattled the alliance by saying he would "encourage" Russia to attack members who were not meeting the obligation.

NATO said on Wednesday that Europe had increased its spending on defense and the United States needed allies, days after former US President Donald Trump suggested that Washington might not protect countries that did not spend enough.

Day 718 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Already high tensions between Russia and NATO have escalated in recent weeks after the military alliance announced the launch of its largest military exercise in 35 years. The exercise called 'Steadfast Defender 2024' launched at the end of January, will last until the end of May, and 90,000 soldiers from 31 NATO allies and Sweden will participate in it.

NATO is increasing its military presence in the Atlantic and Arctic regions. This is the first phase of the major military exercise "Steadfast Defender 2024", which will last until mid-March. From mid-February to the end of May, military personnel from the Arctic and the Eastern Flank will also be trained. Nearly 90,000 military personnel are participating in the exercise.

Let us remind you that yesterday Putin landed in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave that is sandwiched between two NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Since he came to Kaliningrad from the far east of Siberia, he had to fly about 6,500 km, and at one point NATO raised nine planes because of Putin.

The United States envoy to Türkiye has expressed his hopes for the Turkish-American ties following the Turkish Parliament's approval of Sweden's accession protocol to the NATO, a move which will likely prompt the U.S. administration for the sale of the 40 new F-16 jets to the latter.

NATO disclosed that its air forces were mobilized more than 300 times this year in response to Russian military aircraft, marking a substantial increase in aerial encounters between the two entities. The organization highlighted that most confrontations were conducted safely and professionally, mainly over the Baltic Sea.