The move marks yet another step in the systematic military encircling of Russia by the US-led military alliance, which continues to back the far-right Ukrainian regime in a war aimed at inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow and subjugating its territory to semi-colonial status.

NATO allies are facing an intensified threat from Russia, Mark Rutte said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday rebuffed  a proposal to almost double the defence budget, seeking to position himself as a voice of moderation ahead of snap polls next month.

HELSINKI (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced Tuesday that the alliance is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region. Rutte said at a meeting in Helsinki with the leaders of NATO countries located on the Baltic Sea that the effort would be dubbed Baltic Sentry.

The 32 NATO allies will likely decide to increase the defence spending benchmark from the current 2% of GDP during a summit in The Hague in June. #EuropeNews

Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Baltic Sentry will include frigates and maritime patrol aircraft, as well as a small fleet of naval drones.

NATO launched 'Baltic Sentry', a new naval mission to prevent attacks on cable infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The alliance says Russia is to blame for recent incidents, but can increased NATO patrols make a difference?

US President-elect Donald Trump wants members of the NATO military alliance to devote five percent of their national output to defence, a demand that has already been rejected as too high by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

US President-elect Donald Trump, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be among 60 top political leaders from across the world, including Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and Israel,

US President-elect Donald Trump, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be among 60 top leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.

NATO announced a new mission on Tuesday to better protect critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea with significantly more ships, aircraft and drones, as concerns about Russian aggression in the region grow.

President-elect Donald Trump will return to office on Monday having promised a peace deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine, still raging after nearly three years of combat.