International
NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary with a summit that sets its sights in Ukraine
NATO finalizes the preparations for the summit that begins on Tuesday in Washington with a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Alliance, in which it will reaffirm its long-term support for Ukraine at a time when Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukrainian civilian targets.
“In Ukraine, Russia continues its brutal war. This Monday we have seen horrendous missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, killing innocent civilians, including children. I condemn these atrocious attacks,” said the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, in a statement with the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin.
The Norwegian politician pronounced himself from the US capital about the latest Russian missile attacks against Ukraine, which affected a pediatric hospital and left at least 37 dead, including children.
He made it clear that Russia cannot expect NATO to abandon Ukraine but that “it will have to sit down and accept a solution in which Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent nation.”
Russia declared that it will continue with “maximum attention” the development of the summit.
“With the utmost attention,” the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, replied at a press conference to the question of how Russia will observe the NATO summit and added: “You know that it is an alliance that considers Russia an enemy, an adversary.
NATO, he said, “is an alliance that has openly declared the objective of asserting Russia a strategic defeat on the battlefield.”
The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, for his part, traveled to Washington to participate in the NATO summit, where greater cooperation between the Atlantic alliance and Tokyo will be discussed in the face of China’s military boom or the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Japanese conservative leader hopes that the summit “the idea of an indivisible relationship between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific will be reaffirmed,” and ways will be addressed to “strengthen cooperation between Japan and NATO,” as the Executive’s spokesman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said at a press conference today.
For his part, the Turkish president, the Islamist Recep Tayyip Erdogan, opined that NATO should not be part of the war caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The heads of state and government of the 32 allies will support a new comprehensive support package for Ukraine that, in the words of the US ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, “will help Ukraine modernize its forces, create a force for the future, work on aspects such as interoperability with the Alliance and continue to transform its Army.”
“We are building a bridge to bring Ukraine closer to NATO membership,” Smith said on the American public radio NPR.
An entry that the allies agree that it will happen when the country is ready, although at this summit they will continue to not specify a date for it.
The allies are expected to approve an aid package for Ukraine that includes a leading role of NATO in the management of international arms contributions for the invaded country, the training of its soldiers and a fund of about 40 billion euros to pay for the military equipment that Kiev needs to defend itself.
They will also address their most pressing needs on the battlefield, especially those related to anti-aircraft defenses and artillery ammunition.
The president of the United States. Joe Biden will host a ceremony on Tuesday night in the Andrew W auditorium. Mellon to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty, foundation of the Alliance, which was signed in that same place on April 4, 1949.
Biden will host this summit at a time of doubts about his ability due to his age to be the Democratic candidate in the November presidential elections after his weak performance in the recent debate with the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
“We are not perceiving any signs about it in the previous conversations we have with them. Rather the opposite. They are enthusiastic about this summit, about the possibilities and actions that we will undertake together, specifically to help Ukraine,” said one of the spokesmen of the White House, John Kirby.
On Wednesday, the allied leaders will hold a first working session in which they hope to approve the summit declaration, focused on underpinning lasting support for Ukraine, strengthening the policy of deterrence and defense and deepening relations with Pacific partners in the face of the challenges posed by China.
On Thursday, a NATO-Ukraine Council will take place where the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenski, will participate, and a session with the partners of the Pacific (Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) and the European Union.
NATO is convinced that its security “is not regional, but global,” as Stoltenberg said on Monday, that Iran, North Korea and China are “supporting and allowing Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
To comply with NATO’s 360-degree defense strategy, leaders plan to approve a new strategy to pay more attention to the challenges (migration waves, political instability), but also to opportunities from the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood of the Alliance, from the Middle East to the Gulf of Guinea.
In order to face these challenges, the allies will reaffirm their commitment to invest at least 2% of their GDP in military spending. Up to 23 allies already invest that figure, while ten years ago, when they set that goal, there were only three.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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