Russian forces destroyed a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of people were sheltering and rained fire on other cities Wednesday, Ukrainian authorities said, even as the two sides projected optimism over efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting. There was no immediate word on deaths or injuries in what …

U.S. President Joe Biden will travel next week to Brussels, where he will join an “extraordinary” NATO summit set to take place on March 24 — one month after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Biden’s travel plans hours after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg …

NATO will map out ideas for adding substantially more military force to member countries on the alliance’s eastern flank, top officials said Tuesday on the eve of a meeting of defense chiefs. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg delivered remarks as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was en route to NATO headquarters in …

The United States has 100,000 service members operating in Europe, the largest number in nearly two decades, as the Pentagon shifts forces in the wake of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The last time troop levels were this high in Europe was in 2005, according to U.S. European Command records. EUCOM …

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine and his push to upend the broader security order in Europe may lead to a historic shift in American thinking about defense of the continent. Depending on how far Putin goes, this could mean a buildup of U.S. military power in Europe not …

Ukraine said it saw possible room for compromise in talks with Russia despite Moscow’s stepped up bombardment Tuesday of Kyiv and new assaults on the port city of Mariupol, from where an estimated 20,000 civilians managed to flee through a humanitarian corridor. The fast-moving developments on the diplomatic front and …

Several thousand U.S. Marines and sailors are among the roughly 30,000 troops from 27 NATO and partner countries taking part in Norway’s largest military exercise since the end of the Cold War. The biennial Cold Response exercise kicked off Monday and includes land, sea and air drills. This year’s record …

The Islamic State group is moving to solidify support for its new leader, sharing photos on social media showing fighters uniting behind his rule. One set of photos obtained by JihadoScope, a company that monitors online activity by Islamist extremists, and shared with VOA on Friday, shows a small group …

ran claimed responsibility Sunday for a missile barrage that struck near a sprawling U.S. consulate complex in northern Iraq, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard earlier this week. Iraq’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Iran’s ambassador to protest …

Senate lawmakers finalized a $1.5 trillion spending bill late Thursday that provides $13.6 billion in new aid for Ukraine and funding stability for the Defense Department for the rest of the fiscal year. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the measure into law Friday. Without the budget deal, government …