Peter Atitebi

Poland and the Baltic states have announced their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, citing growing security concerns regarding Russia. Defense ministers from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland issued a joint statement explaining that threats from Moscow and Belarus have "significantly increased" since they signed the treaty. They emphasized the importance of providing their military forces with "flexibility and freedom of choice" in defending NATO's eastern boundary. The Ottawa Treaty, also known as the Mine Ban Treaty, took effect in 1997 with the goal of eliminating anti-personnel mines globally. While over 160 countries have joined the agreement, major military powers including Russia, China, the US, India and Pakistan never signed. The Baltic nations had all joined the convention by 2005, with Poland following in 2012. Tuesday's joint statement highlighted that the regional security situation has "significantly […]

A divided US Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration's request to maintain a freeze on billions of dollars in congressionally approved foreign aid. The Court did not specify when the funds must be released, allowing the administration to continue challenging the issue in lower courts. The 5-4 ruling saw Chief Justice John Roberts joining Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson in the majority. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented. The majority noted that since a court-ordered deadline to disburse the funds had already passed, lower courts should clarify what obligations the government must fulfill to comply with the temporary restraining order. The ruling doesn't require immediate payment of up to $2 billion in foreign aid; it simply allows the district court to potentially compel those payments with […]

New Zealand has dismissed its most senior envoy to the United Kingdom following remarks that questioned US President Donald Trump's understanding of history. During an event in London on Tuesday, High Commissioner Phil Goff compared efforts to end the Russia- Ukraine war to the 1938 Munich Agreement, which permitted Adolf Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia. Mr. Goff recalled Sir Winston Churchill's criticism of the agreement, then said, "President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?" New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters called his comments "deeply disappointing" and said they made his position "untenable." Goff's remarks came after Trump paused military aid to Kyiv following a contentious exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last week. The High Commissioner contrasted Trump with Churchill who, while […]