Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Rome on Thursday in preparation for the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague later this month, where defence spending will be a key focus.
According to Meloni’s office, the leaders engaged in an in-depth discussion on collective security spending and the development of a more innovative and competitive defense industry in cooperation with the European Union.
During the meeting, both leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and emphasized the Atlantic Alliance’s vital role as a pillar of collective defence, highlighting the importance of a comprehensive approach to Euro-Atlantic security.
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend the NATO summit in June, where his calls for European allies to increase defence budgets will dominate the agenda.
Trump has long criticized NATO members for not contributing their fair share to security costs. This summit will mark his first meeting with the alliance since returning to power.
Italy currently ranks among NATO members with the lowest defence spending, allocating less than 1.5% of its GDP to defence in 2024, well below the alliance’s 2% target.
Rome has pledged to meet the 2% target this year, while Rutte has proposed a split target of 3.5% for core defence capabilities and an additional 1.5% for related areas like cybersecurity and infrastructure.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said.&nbs...
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on D...
Nigeria's first Ebola case in more than a decade may be linked to travel in Uganda, Swiss authorities said on Thursday, although the source of ...
Russia is willing in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States in November, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Yemen's Houthis have denied targeting the holy city of Medina on Wednesday adding that they have not conducted any military operations towards Saudi Arabia either, denying earlier comments from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court in Batumi will on Wednesday hear a lawsuit seeking to ban five Georgian opposition parties, four of which collectively gained 784,820 votes (37.79 per cent) in the country’s last national elections in 2024.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Nigeria's first Ebola case in more than a decade may be linked to travel in Uganda, Swiss authorities said on Thursday, although the source of infection remains unclear. Uganda maintains it has no cases of the disease.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
Two women from Austria and Switzerland have been freed after lengthy periods in captivity in Niger, following extensive diplomatic efforts to secure their release amid growing concerns over kidnappings in the Sahel region.
France has reported its first known human case of Shamonda virus following the death of an infected patient, authorities said on Thursday (22 October). The virus, typically found in livestock, is believed to have been transmitted by a biting midge.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment