Iran's Pezeshkian says barter trade helps economy withstand sanctions
President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended his administration's economic performance under longstanding Western sanctions and severe wartime conditions,...
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.
U.S. President Donald Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" on Tuesday with Iran, characterising the talks positively while also threatening to hit Iran "really hard" if a deal was not reached.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, two key maritime chokepoints in the region, decreased significantly from the previous day, according to shipping data.
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Kazakhstan’s main oil export corridor was disrupted by drone strikes near Russia’s Black Sea coast in July, forcing a temporary suspension of crude loadings and raising fresh concerns over the vulnerability of regional energy infrastructure to the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the country's ambassadors to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and several other countries. The removals came after a speech on Monday in which he said embassies would be judged on their effectiveness in securing weapons for Ukraine.
Uzbek exporters say repeated disruptions to Wildberries' logistics network in Russia have slowed deliveries and affected overseas sales, prompting the government to hold talks with the online marketplace's management.
Tajikistan tripled fuel imports from neighbouring Central Asian countries in July after deliveries from Russia declined sharply, underscoring how disruptions to Russian exports are prompting governments across the region to seek alternative suppliers.
Morocco has expressed its readiness to work with Spain and other European partners to identify and return unaccompanied minors following the mass arrival of tens of thousands of migrants Ceuta last week.
Three students and three teachers are among the dead following a school shooting in Thailand, with at least 15 injured, according to Royal Thai Police.
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