Issued on: 12/02/2026 - 17:45

At Thursday's NATO meeting in Brussels, US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth was absent, highlighting concerns about America stepping back from the alliance. European allies announced Arctic Sentry, a new mission to strengthen Arctic security amid Russian and Chinese activity. While analysts see it largely as a rebranding of existing drills, NATO hopes it will reassure Donald Trump and let Europe take a bigger role in defence.

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