The War in Ukraine

[Kirkhill]

Now Starmer ....

UK and Norway begin talks on new defence agreement

(Alliance News) - The UK and Norway have started negotiations on a new defence pact aimed at ...

www.morningstar.co.uk

(Alliance News) - The UK and Norway have started negotiations on a new defence pact aimed at combatting the threat from Russia in the Arctic.

Defence Secretary John Healey and his counterpart, Tore Sandvik, kickstarted the talks as they met at Norwegian Joint Headquarters, a fortress tunnelled deep into the side of a mountain.

Moves towards the major defence agreement come as European countries continue to reel from the sharp shift in US foreign policy towards Ukraine.

President Donald Trump has urged European nations to spend more on their own money on defence, and has locked Nato partners out of initial peace talks over the future of Ukraine with Russia.

The new UK-Norwegian defence agreement will see closer co-operation between the two nations' defence industries, and closer working between their armed forces, including on protecting undersea cables from sabotage.

Defence Secretary Healey said: "Kickstarting work on a deep, ambitious new defence agreement with Norway shows the UK promise to step up on European security in action.

"Norway remains one of the UK's most important allies. We will create a new era of defence partnership to bring us closer than ever before as we tackle increasing threats, strengthen Nato, and boost our security in the High North.

"The UK is determined to play a leadership role on European security, supporting the foundations for our security and prosperity at home and showing our adversaries that we are united in our determination to protect our interests."

Healey's visit to the High North – loosely defined as the area contained within the territories of the Arctic countries – also saw him visit a British vessel, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Proteus, currently docked in the town of Bodo, which will join Norwegian ships on exercise in the Baltic Sea.

Now that may have as much to do with this as with Ukraine

‘Dusk for Norway is dawn for Russia’: Alarm as gas fields supplying the UK begin to run out

Dwindling supplies of fossil fuels threaten to play straight into the hands of Vladimir Putin

www.telegraph.co.uk

But Starmer, one of Mark Carney's Net Zero acolytes has this in his back pocket as well, if he chooses to shitcan Net Zero.

Huge gas field found under Lincolnshire ‘could fuel UK for decade’

Discovery could boost UK economy by £100bn, but gas would need to be extracted by fracking

www.independent.co.uk

And he might have form

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/uk-pm-starmer-signals-he-will-not-block-rosebank-oil-gas-project-2025-02-06/

 

[Kirkhill]

His party supporters got 100 votes against the bill, versus 200 for

2/3 ain’t bad

"I want you! I need you! But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you. Now don't feel sad....."

 

[Kirkhill]

This is novel, as far as I'm concerned.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-says-joining-eu-is-ukraines-sovereign-right-2025-02-18/

MOSCOW, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it was Ukraine's sovereign right to decide whether it wanted to join the European Union and that Moscow did not intend to dictate to Kyiv how it should approach the question.
Asked if Ukraine could one day join the European Union, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This is the sovereign right of any country."
"We are talking about integration and economic integration processes. And here, of course, no one can dictate anything to any country, and we are not going to do that," Peskov said.

Three things

This whole mess started in 2013 over Putin opposing Ukraine's entry into the EU.
The EU is now also a defensive alliance.
Putin is apparently recognizing Ukraine as a sovereign state.

Is that movement?

Mutual defence clause - EUR-Lex

eur-lex.europa.eu

Europeans urged to strengthen defense, unite for lasting peace

Europeans urged to strengthen defense, unite for lasting peace -

english.news.cn

 

[MilEME09]

This is novel, as far as I'm concerned.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-says-joining-eu-is-ukraines-sovereign-right-2025-02-18/

Three things

This whole mess started in 2013 over Putin opposing Ukraine's entry into the EU.
The EU is now also a defensive alliance.
Putin is apparently recognizing Ukraine as a sovereign state.

Is that movement?

Mutual defence clause - EUR-Lex

eur-lex.europa.eu

Europeans urged to strengthen defense, unite for lasting peace

Europeans urged to strengthen defense, unite for lasting peace -

english.news.cn

seems like an about turn

 

[Remius]

seems like an about turn

Don’t trust them. At all.

 

[KevinB]

Don’t trust them. At all.

How do you know Russian is lying it’s easy. Their lips are moving.

 

[PuckChaser]

This thread is locked until everyone can figure out not to turn everything into a Trump love/hate fest.

- Milnet.ca Staff