Read more about the article France says yes to Ukraine’s Acession to NATO
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France says yes to Ukraine’s Acession to NATO

On the 12 June 2023, a French Defence Council examined the possibility of an accession of Ukraine to NATO once the war is over (Pietralunga & Ricard, 2023). Paris used to be reluctant, alongside Berlin and Washington (Pietralunga & Ricard, 2023; Smolar, 2023). France now regards Kiev’s membership as a viable option to guarantee security in Europe in the coming years (Pietralunga & Ricard, 2023). This recent change of mind also expresses a determination to increase pressure on Moscow to halt its war in Ukraine. It further conveys France’s support to Kiev at a time when its counter-offensive is facing difficulties (Pietralunga & Ricard, 2023)

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27 June 2023
Read more about the article Belgium Officially Joins The FCAS Project
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Belgium Officially Joins The FCAS Project

Belgium announced its desire to join the largest European arms project. On Friday 16 June 2023, the Council of Ministers agreed to propose the country to join the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) (Payne, 2023; Roberfroid, 2023). Belgium will be first granted an “observer” status for at least months to a year before fully integrating the programme (Pugnet, 2023). During the next year, the Belgian defence industries will be assessed to determine which firms will participate in the industrial development phase of the programme.

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26 June 2023
Read more about the article Germany drafts its first National Security Strategy since WW2
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Germany drafts its first National Security Strategy since WW2

On 14 June 2023, Germany revealed its first National Security Strategy since the end of WW2. The plan was in preparation since November 2021 (DeutscheWelle, 2023). And while the document was supposed to be delivered during the Munich Security Council in February, though its release was delayed by internal disagreements among the government’s coalition parties (Von Der Burchard, 2023).

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21 June 2023
Read more about the article Turmoil in Kosovo
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Turmoil in Kosovo

On 29 May 2023, Serb protesters clashed with troops of the NATO-led mission in Kosovo* (KFOR) after demonstrators attempted to force their way into a government building in Zvecan, located in the Serb-majority northern part of the territory (Bytyci, 2023a). The clashes resulted in approximately 30 KFOR peacekeepers suffering injuries (Bytyci, 2023a). Prior to the incident, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered, on 26 May, an urgent movement of troops to the border with Kosovo after ethnic Serbs had clashed with local police in the country (Al Jazeera, 2023).

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19 June 2023
Read more about the article PESCO launches new projects as Denmark joins the effort to improve European military interoperability
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PESCO launches new projects as Denmark joins the effort to improve European military interoperability

At the end of May, the Council of the European Union adopted 11 new projects and welcomed Denmark as a new member state of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) initiative (European Council, 2023). These events are milestones for two reasons; first, these new operations have a focus on interoperability; and second, Denmark’s accession itself, as in the past the country was reluctant to join PESCO and European defence efforts. The 11 new projects focus on a range of military domains. These include training, land, maritime, air systems and cyber. More specifically, the projects concerning land interoperability will primarily focus on unmanned ground systems, communication and infrastructure networks (PESCO, 2023).

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16 June 2023