Section: Middle East Monitor (Kuwait)
Turkey pins hopes on Trump to avoid sanctions over Russia missile deal
Turkey’s hopes of avoiding punishing US sanctions over its purchase of a Russian air defence system appear increasingly pinned on intervention from Donald Trump, but the president has little leeway to counter Ankara’s many critics in Washington, Reuters reports.The two NATO allies have argued for months over Turkey’s order for...
NATO meeting to focus on Russia, as US cautions Turkey over missile purchases
Turkey remains an important NATO ally and partner to the United States despite concerns over its plans to buy missile defense systems from Russia, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday, a day before the start of a NATO meeting in Washington, reports Reuters.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to preview the meeting of...
Egypt signs $2bn deal for 20 Russian fighter jets
Egypt has signed a $2 billion deal with Russia to buy more than 20 Sukhoi SU-35 multi-role fighter jets, Russia’s daily Kommersant reported yesterday.The contract, which was signed at the end of 2018, would see Russia supply “more than 20” of the aircraft, along with weapons for the planes, to Egypt in 2020-2021.Following the agreement,...
Ukraine detains Israeli accused of running drug network
Ukraine has detained an Israeli man who it says heads a massive global drug trafficking network that markets illegal drugs through the internet, the country’s security service said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.The SBU security service did not name the man, in keeping with its normal practice, but said Israeli police had taken part in the...
The Middle East is armed and dangerous as never before
The latest data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on global arms sales, released on 11 March, is a sobering acknowledgement that the Middle East and, in particular, key Gulf States are arming themselves to the teeth with the latest and best high-tech weaponry that money can buy. That’s good news for the arms...
US warns of ‘grave consequences’ if Turkey buys S-400s
The US warned of “grave consequences” Friday if Turkey purchases the Russian S-400 missile defense system because it could affect the deal for F-35 fighter jets and the Patriot missile system, Anadolu Agency reports.Pentagon spokesman Charles Summers told reporters Turkey’s decision to accept the Russian defense system “would mean that they...
Turkey-made drones purchased by Ukraine to begin test flights
Ukraine will soon begin test flights on Turkey’s domestically-manufactured TB2 drones after purchasing the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a deal made earlier this year.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko wrote in a Twitter post that the agreement was signed for the Bayraktar TB2 armed UAVs to be purchased and used by the Ukrainian...
UK rally to demand freedom for jailed Syrian women
An international rights group will hold a protest in London on International Women’s Day to call on the global community to take urgent action to secure the release of women and children in Syrian prisons.The Conscience Movement will hold a protest in front of government offices at 10 Downing Street on 8th March.According to the movement,...
The Munich Security Conference and the international situation
The Munich Security Conference was supposed to be an occasion for important countries to present their strategies and to identify the most critical challenges and threats to global security and peace.For this reason, the Munich Security Conference had been an important event for the world leaders, as well as the global media and those who want a...
Sudan denies Russian mercenaries’ involvement in quashing protests
The Sudanese government has denied reports that Russian mercenaries are aiding security forces in cracking down on anti-austerity protests that have rocked the country over the past month.Sudanese Interior Minister, Ahmed Bilal Osman, dismissed a report by the Times last week that published photographs of troops – allegedly from the shadowy...
