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NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

The Nato Summit held in The Hague on 24-25 June was a failure, wrapped in success. It was a success because it avoided public display of divisions, mainly by avoiding issues: it was the shortest summit anyone can remember; it also had a very short final statement that basically had two points, the first a re-commitment to article 5 of the North Atlantic Charter and the principle that an attack on one will be considered an attack on all. The fact that Nato leaders in the Hague had felt the need to re-emphasise this should be a cause of worry not celebration, but in the end, it is good that it was said. The second outcome, the one that received most attention, was the commitment of European countries to spend more on their defence: 5 per cent of GDP, of which 3.5 per cent on hard defence, and 1.5 per cent on related ancillary areas such as infrastructure. You may, if you want, believe that this was a response to US President Donald Trump's insistence. Or, if you are more prudent, understand that countries that matter – Germany, France, Poland and the Scandinavian countries had decided on this course of action quite separately, and as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was a wake-up call. Finland and Sweden’s decision to abandon their neutrality, and join NATO was taken long before Trump returned to the White House. The EU’s decision to spend massively on defence was always to ensure that other European countries are part of this process, willy-nilly.

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Biden and Putin agree that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought".

Biden and Putin agree that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought".

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have committed to nuclear arms control and reaffirmed that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. The leaders' first in-person meeting since Biden became president took place at a lakeside villa in Geneva on Wednesday, 16 June.
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News
NATO identifies China as a "systematic challenge"

NATO identifies China as a "systematic challenge"

The leaders of NATO countries, representing thirty member states in Europe and North America, have identified China as a “systematic challenge” and promised to work together to address this. NATO leaders reaffirmed the Alliance’s dual-track approach of defence and dialogue towards Russia. They also pledged to continue to support NATO partners Ukraine and Georgia, bringing them closer to the Alliance.
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Opinion
Opinion: Indo-European rapprochement and the competing geopolitics of infrastructure

Opinion: Indo-European rapprochement and the competing geopolitics of infrastructure

With the geopolitical focus shifting towards the Indo-Pacific region and China's growing assertiveness, Indo-European relations become increasingly important. In this op-ed for commonspace.eu, Alex Petrosyan looks at how the EU and India are taking their co-operation to a higher level with the Connectivity Partnership launched in May, and why even closer relations are necessary.
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News
 G7 leaders call for "a cleaner, greener, freer, fairer and safer future for our people and planet"

G7 leaders call for "a cleaner, greener, freer, fairer and safer future for our people and planet"

"We look forward to working alongside our G20 partners and with all relevant International Organisations to secure a cleaner, greener, freer, fairer and safer future for our people and planet". This was stated by the leaders of the G7 countries when they ended their meeting in Cornwall in England on Sunday (13 June).