The holder of the highest seat in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, said that the West is partly to blame for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the Pope said “that barking of NATO at the door of Russia” has pushed …

It’s likely to be the quickest NATO enlargement ever and one that would redraw Europe’s security map. Finnish leaders announced Thursday their belief that Finland should join the world’s biggest military organization because of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Sweden could soon follow suit. Should they apply for membership, the move …

Finland’s leaders Thursday came out in favor of applying to join NATO, and Sweden could do the same within days, in a historic realignment on the continent 2 1/2 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscow’s neighbors. The Kremlin reacted by …

A Hamas delegation visited Moscow at a time when relations between Russia and Israel are taking a more tense turn due to Israel’s position in the Russia-Ukraine war. A Hamas delegation visited Moscow on May 4, where it held talks with Russian officials at the Russian Foreign Ministry’s guesthouse. The …

Hamas is urging Arabs of Israel to escalate their attacks against Israelis inside Israel, as part of efforts to confuse the Israeli army in the event of a war with Gaza. As part of efforts to avoid dragging the Gaza Strip into another military confrontation with the Israeli army, Hamas …

The Iran nuclear deal may be facing “last bullet” with no deal in sight on IRGC. A few months ago in Vienna, observers were anticipating a signing ceremony for a revival of the Iran nuclear deal, formally known Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The so-called P5+1 countries, minus the …

Turkey and Kazakhstan agree on an enhanced strategic partnership during Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s first-ever state visit to Turkey . Turkey and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to start co-producing Turkey’s Anka drones in Kazakhstan during the first-ever state visit of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Ankara. The memorandum of understanding signed between …

The breakdown between sides serves Turkey’s agenda of keeping its Kurdish foes divided and weak. Turkey’s military escalation against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has deepened the gulf between Syrian Kurdish groups and put the kibosh on US-mediated talks that were aimed at forging unity in northeast Syria between the …

The bottom line While Russia has made slight progress in the Donbas, the line of control has hardly budged and the Kremlin’s campaign has largely stalled. The Ukrainian counteroffensive near Kharkiv remains strong, with Russian forces being pushed back toward the Russian border.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin confronts a series of humiliating battlefield setbacks since his February 24 invasion of Ukraine, and amid an increased flow of Western arms into the country, the risk of escalation remains all too real. So we asked some of our top experts to answer three burning …