Britain is set to implement its largest defense spending increase since the Cold War, aiming to send a clear “message to Moscow,” UK Defense Secretary John Healey said Sunday. The Labour government’s plan will push defense spending to 2.5% of national income by 2027—an increase of £13 billion ($17 billion) annually—and Healey expects it to reach 3% in the early 2030s.
Russia unleashed a deadly wave of drone and missile strikes across Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least two people, including a 9-year-old girl, as uncertainty looms over possible peace talks in Istanbul next week. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces launched 109 drones and five missiles overnight, with Ukrainian air defenses downing three missiles and 42 drones, while another 30 drones failed to reach their targets.
Iran, China, and Russia have convened to coordinate their positions on Iran's nuclear program, raising concerns about a unified front opposing U.S. efforts.
Russia has proposed holding a new round of peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2, aiming to present a memorandum addressing the ongoing conflict.
North Korea now has enough fissile material to build up to 90 nuclear warheads, a sharp rise from previous estimates of 20 to 60, according to a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report released Friday. Despite years of U.N. sanctions and U.S.-South Korea military drills, Pyongyang has rapidly advanced its nuclear weapons and missile programs, posing an escalating threat to the United States and its allies.
The Taliban's so-called commerce minister announced Thursday that the regime is nearing a trade deal with Russia to bypass U.S. dollar transactions, while also pursuing similar arrangements with China. The deal comes after Russia officially removed the Taliban’s terrorist designation in April, paving the way for formal economic engagement.
Nicușor Dan, the centrist and pro-European mayor of Bucharest, has won Romania's presidential election, defeating right-wing nationalist George Simion with 53.8% of the vote.
Russia carried out its most intense drone attack on Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, launching 273 explosive drones and decoys overnight into Sunday. The unprecedented assault followed failed peace talks in Istanbul between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, which ended without a ceasefire agreement.
