Nato should be prepared for a long war between Russia and Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.
Alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine would join Nato when “the time is right” but will not be offered membership at next month’s summit.
The two men met in Berlin as preparations step up for the 31-leader summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where allies are expected to commit to boosting military spending.
Germany is also looking to its arms industry to produce more weapons to help Ukraine.
Nato powers, including Germany, have handed over tanks to help Ukraine recapture territory from Russia in a counter-offensive.
Despite this, allies “should brace ourselves for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine to continue for a long time,” Mr Scholz told a press conference on Monday.
“We are preparing for that and aligning our policies to it. Germany will support Ukraine for as long as is necessary. We have reserved the necessary money in our budget.”
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 but has failed to seize Kyiv, and the war has descended into a brutal struggle for territory on the southern and eastern front lines.
Mr Stoltenberg said Ukrainians would have a “stronger hand” in possible future negotiations if they can retake territory from Russia.
While some countries in Europe are pushing for Ukraine to be given a clear path to Nato membership, others, such as Germany, see it as a more distant prospect.
“We all want this war to end, but a just peace cannot mean freezing the conflict and accepting a deal dictated by Russia,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
Moscow and the West have blamed each other for the barren prospects of peace talks, with Russian President Vladimir Putin insisting on Friday that the Kremlin was open to discussions.
Meanwhile, Nato is drawing up new battle plans to prepare for a hypothetical Russian attack for the first time since the end of the Cold War.
Mr Stoltenberg is pushing for allies to raise their spending pledges beyond the current target of 2 per cent of GDP – a level that many, including Germany, have yet to meet.
Germany turned a page on its post-1945 pacifism by directly shipping arms to Ukraine and committing to a €100 billion ($109.2 billion) upgrade of its military.
It says the 2 per cent target could be reached next year if this one-off borrowing spree is included.
Mr Stoltenberg said some Nato members would need to spend more than 2 per cent for the alliance to realise its plans for improved capabilities and high-readiness forces.
“I know that it’s never easy to increase defence spending. If you spend more on defence there is less for healthcare, for education, for other important things,” said Mr Stoltenberg, a former prime minister and finance minister of Norway.
“But the reality is that when we live in a more dangerous world we just have to pay the price of investing more in defence.”
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
MATCH INFO
Azerbaijan 0
Wales 2 (Moore 10', Wilson 34')
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
