Russia–NATO relations

The Kremlin accused U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday of escalating the 1,000-day-old war in Ukraine, promising a "palpable" response to any use of U.S. long-range missiles by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia.

Romania has requested a stronger NATO troop presence on its territory, citing security concerns in the Black Sea region. This was confirmed after a meeting between Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.

A new round of tensions over the war in Ukraine will, according to the Kremlin, be brought about by the green light given by the US, France and Britain to Kiev to use long-range missiles.

U.S. President Joe Biden has cleared Kiev to use long-range American missiles against military targets inside Russia, a U.S. official told AFP on Sunday, hours after Russia targeted Ukraine's power grid in a deadly barrage.

European nations boosted their defenses in response to the annexation of the Crimea Peninsula in 2014 and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, London-based think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a report on Nov. 8.

This photograph shows pigeons flying over a residential building damaged by shelling in the town of Kurakhove, located near the front line, in the Pokrovsk district of the eastern Donetsk region, on Oct. 8, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted on Thursday that Greece and Turkey "are two valuable and important allies" that contribute to common defense and security in different ways, playing an important role in NATO and being part of decision-making on a daily basis. 

The Kremlin has issued a warning that Russia will "retaliate accordingly" if the United States allows Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles for strikes deep within Russian territory, a decision Moscow suspects has already been made, Reuters reports.

The United States will be monitoring upcoming joint military drills by China and Russia in the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk. Despite observing the situation, a senior White House official indicated there is "no dramatic, imminent concern." National security spokesman John Kirby emphasized that the US will monitor these exercises as it would any other drills.

A Russian Shahed drone crossed into Romanian airspace during the night of September 7-8, prompting NATO fighter jets to track its movement, according to the Romanian Ministry of Defence (MApN). Another drone may have crashed on Romanian territory, though it has not yet been located.