A round table meeting of NATO foreign minsters has just begun in Brussels, where they're expected to speak about ongoing peace talks, as well as defence issues.
Speaking briefly to the press on arrival, NATO chief Mark Rutte says that while it's good the peace talks are ongoing, NATO has to make sure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position.
He says officials will discuss "keeping Ukraine as strong as possible in the fight today", but also "to be in the strongest possible position when peace talks really start to happen in a way where this could lead to results."
The meeting, one of only two formal ministerials on NATO’s annual calendar, was expected to showcase unity as allies review progress since the Hague Summit and begin preparing for the 2026 summit in Ankara.
Instead, Rubio’s decision to skip the talks – a rarity for a U.S. secretary of state has fueled questions about Washington’s position under U.S. President Donald Trump.
With Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau attending in Rubio’s place, analysts say the U.S. absence will be impossible to ignore at a moment when the alliance is trying to coordinate military support and a political path forward for Kyiv.
The meeting comes as the U.S. pushes allies to narrow differences on a peace proposal drafted with input from Washington and Moscow – a document that has triggered widespread criticism in Europe for appearing overly aligned with Russian demands.
Much of Wednesday’s closed-door debate is expected to center on the peace plan, which European and Ukrainian officials have spent the past two weeks rewriting.
European leaders insist that only Ukraine can decide on its own territories, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says security guarantees and preserving sovereignty are top priorities.
The initial draft included language suggesting limitations on NATO expansion, caps on the size of the Ukrainian military and the de-facto recognition of Russian control over large swathes of Ukrainian territory – provisions that prompted sharp pushback from European capitals.
‘More aggressive’ posture on hybrid threats
The ministers will also discuss what NATO officials say is a surge in suspected Russian hybrid operations across Europe.
Recent months have seen drones allegedly linked to Russia violate airspace in Poland and Romania, unexplained drone disruptions at airports and military sites in Western Europe, and the sabotage of a key rail line between Warsaw and Kyiv in November.
The ministers are also expected to review Operation Eastern Sentry – a plan to bolster defences on the alliance’s eastern flank, which was activated after Poland claimed Russian drones violated its airspace in September.
Another key focus will be sustaining military support for Ukraine, including coordination through the NATO-Ukraine Council with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on Monday, urging additional air defence systems as Russian missile and drone barrages continue.
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Norway plans to buy two additional submarines from Germany and a separate procurement of long-range artillery, the defence ministry said on Friday, at a much higher cost than before partly due to high demand for military equipment.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has warned that recent attacks on Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea endanger regional safety and commerce, highlighting the expanding reach of the war in Ukraine.
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.
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., has finalized the group stage for the tournament co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, setting the schedule and matchups for next summer’s expanded 48-team event.
Israel was cleared on Thursday to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, a decision made by the organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which sparked a major controversy.
Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged heavy fire along their shared border late on Friday, a reminder of how sensitive the frontier remains despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for its support of the claims by United Arab Emirates on three Iranian islands.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron to Chengdu on Friday, a rare gesture seemingly reserved for the head of Europe's second-largest economy that highlights Beijing's focus on Paris in its ties with the European Union.
Wildfires swept through thousands of hectares of bushland in New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday, prompting authorities to issue top-level evacuation warnings for thousands of residents in the country’s most populous state.
The 23rd edition of the Doha Forum commenced on Saturday in the Qatari capital, focusing on the theme “Justice in Action: Beyond Promises to Progress.”
A railway hub near Kyiv was struck during a large-scale Russian drone and missile assault, damaging the depot and railway carriages, the Ukrainian state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia reported on Saturday.
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