NATO allies News

US may not defend NATO allies that have not contributed enough to defence spending, casting doubt on a core aspect of the alliance. 

NATO's 30 allies signed an accession protocol for Finland and Sweden on Tuesday (July 5) The protocol means Helsinki and Stockholm can participate in NATO meetings

NATO allies to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan by September 11, starting from May 1. Withdrawing troops does not mean ending NATO's relationship with Afghanistan. Rather, this will be "the start of a new chapter," statement. There are currently about 10,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan.

NATO ended its longest-ever military operation in 2014 when it handed over frontline duties to the Afghan military and took on an advice and training mission, but recent Taliban gains have dented hopes of a quick end to the war.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Ankara today for talks on the Syria conflict, just a day after Turkey announced that its military offensive was over.

EU ministers approved a common defence plan despite sharp differences over how far it should go, as Donald Trump's election win stoked fears about Washington's commitment to European security.

Turkey has adjusted its military rules of engagement to allow NATO allies to carry out more patrol flights along its border with northern Syria, a Turkish official said on Tuesday.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry would fly to Cairo after talks on the Syrian crisis in Vienna and before heading to Brussels to meet the NATO allies.

NATO allies cannot agree to Russian demands to limit their missile defences because of the threat posed by North Korea, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday.

Urged on by the United States, NATO is open to keeping more troops in Afghanistan than initially planned after 2016, but officials said today the alliance is waiting for the Obama administration to announce its decision on a larger military presence there.