Global security news

The total number of Russian military personnel in the peacekeeping contingent of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) There will be less than 5 thousand people in Kazakhstan, the Vedomosti newspaper reported on Thursday, citing a source close to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Presidents of Uzbekistan and Turkey, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussed Uzbek-Turkish relations, the situation in Central Asia and the situation in Kazakhstan during a telephone conversation on Thursday, the press service of the Uzbek leader reported.

First Deputy US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will travel to Geneva later in January for talks with the Russian delegation, along with Deputy Secretary of State for Arms Control Bonnie Jenkins and a number of representatives of the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the US military command, the State Department said on Thursday.

The Taliban movement that seized Afghanistan (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) said it was concerned about the unrest in Kazakhstan.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrel expressed "great concern" about the developments in Kazakhstan and spoke skeptically about the CSTO peacekeeping assistance.

The United States does not plan to increase its military presence in Europe yet, but if a request is received from NATO allies, Washington will consider it, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing for journalists on Tuesday.

The United States is aiming for a quick return together with Tehran to compliance with the obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear deal, as there is less and less time for this, White House press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

The United States does not intend to discuss issues related to NATO and Europe during a meeting with Russian representatives in Geneva, State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a briefing.

Japanese Prime Minister regrets Pyongyang's launch

South Korea's National Security Council expressed concern on Wednesday over North Korea's launch of a suspected ballistic missile and called for the resumption of talks to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The EU countries are still unable to agree on a long-term plan for cooperation with NATO, which is becoming a real threat against the background of the current relations of the union with Russia, the Financial Times newspaper reports, citing an unnamed minister of one of the EU countries.

"In 2022, the Navy faces the tasks of intensive training of forces and troops of the Northern, Pacific, Black Sea, Baltic fleets and the Caspian Flotilla for actions as part of combined (interspecific) groupings of forces (troops) The Navy is ready to carry out tasks in all areas of the World Ocean, including the Arctic. It is planned that the sailors will take part in about 950 tactical and command and staff exercises. About 300 crews of ships and submarines will be trained," said the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, whose words were quoted in the Russian Defense Ministry.

Exactly seven years ago, However magazine, in the December-January 2014-2015 issue, published an article by Mikhail Barabanov, senior researcher at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), "Forcing Peace-2: Russia's Immediate Prospect in Ukraine" (it was also announced in a blog), which predicted the possibility of Russian military intervention to force peace in Ukraine, and primarily in the context of preventing NATO expansion into Ukraine.

Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet stated the need to contain Russia. "Over the past six months, it has become clear that the security situation could escalate dramatically, but now the most important thing is to focus on containing Russia," Laanet told ERR on Wednesday.

A broad discussion on universal conscription is planned in Lithuania, Vice-Minister of Defense of the Republic Gilvinas Tomkus said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held a telephone conversation on Wednesday ahead of the NATO-Russia Council meeting scheduled for January 12, Anadolu agency reports.

Russian and Belarusian fighter jets conducted a new patrol of the state border of Belarus, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program is better for Israel than the absence of an agreement, the Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday, citing the head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, Major General Aaron Khaliv.

Vladimir Putin called the Almaz-Antey concern's air defense systems the most reliable in the world

President Vladimir Putin gave an assessment of the Russian air defense systems developed by the Almaz-Antey concern. This is reported by TASS.

Three-day exercises of the local military have begun in Taiwan, within the framework of which combat aircraft will practice the skills of intercepting Chinese Air Force aircraft, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Wednesday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that during consultations with European partners, he stressed the importance of their close coordination before discussions with Russia in various formats in the coming week, believes that it is necessary to conduct a "demanding dialogue" with the Russian Federation.