AnewZ Morning Brief - 24 February, 2026
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th of February, covering the latest developments you need to...
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday (December 3) that two-thirds of NATO member states have now committed to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a programme designed to coordinate and deliver military and logistical support for Ukraine.
Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte said the combined contributions from allies and partners had exceeded $4 billion, bringing the alliance close to its annual goal of $5 billion. He added that Australia and New Zealand have joined the initiative, becoming the first non-NATO partners to do so.
"Today, we heard from allies committing more resources to support Ukraine, including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Poland," Rutte said, noting the growing number of nations backing the initiative.
The NATO chief acknowledged that while progress was being made, all member states must share the burden equally. “We must do more, and all allies need to pull their weight to ensure that we are prepared and that the responsibility is fairly shared,” he said.
Rutte also said ministers discussed defence spending targets, reaffirming plans to reach the commitments made in The Hague, where allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP annually in defence.
Turning to the situation in Ukraine, Rutte reiterated NATO’s strong support for ongoing peace efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump, describing them as essential to ending the conflict.
"We all want the bloodshed to end, and I strongly welcome President Trump’s continued efforts to bring about a just and lasting peace," Rutte said. “There is only one person in the whole world who was able to break the deadlock when it comes to the war in Ukraine, and that is the American president, Donald J. Trump.”
Rutte said NATO fully supports Washington’s role in peace negotiations and will continue coordinating closely with the U.S. and other allies as talks move forward.
The PURL mechanism, launched earlier this year, aims to streamline Ukraine’s military assistance by matching Kyiv’s battlefield needs with available resources from NATO members and partners.
As of December, contributions under the framework have surpassed $4 billion, with additional commitments expected in the coming months.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
Mexican authorities said on Sunday that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Global transportation company FedEx has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade seeking a refund for President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs it paid under the overturned International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the war is no longer defined by shock but by scale.
The son of Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner, pleaded not guilty on Monday (23 February) to murdering his parents at their Los Angeles home in December. Nick Reiner, 32, entered not guilty pleas to two counts of first-degree murder during an arraignment at Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Thousands of people gathered across Europe and beyond over the weekend in solidarity with Ukraine, as the war with Russia entered its fifth year.
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