As Congress debates another aid package to Ukraine, former President Donald Trump laid out his thoughts on the issue in a Truth Social post on Thursday, blasting European nations for not doing more to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Trump didn&#8217;t weigh in specifically on the current debate between Republicans on Capitol Hill over Ukraine aid, but said Ukraine&#8217;s survival &#8220;is also important to&#8221; the United States. The former president then called on American allies in Europe to do more to assist Ukraine.
&#8220;Why isn’t Europe giving more money to help Ukraine? Why is it that the United States is over $100 Billion Dollars into the Ukraine War more than Europe, and we have an Ocean between us as separation! Why can’t Europe equalize or match the money put in by the United States of America in order to help a Country in desperate need?&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112293507314520477" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a>.
&#8220;As everyone agrees, Ukrainian Survival and Strength should be much more important to Europe than to us, but it is also important to us! GET MOVING EUROPE!&#8221; he added. &#8220;In addition, I am the only one who speaks for &#8216;ME&#8217; and, while it is a total mess caused by Crooked Joe Biden and the Incompetent Democrats, if I were President, this War would have never started!&#8221;
European financial and humanitarian aid for Ukraine has surpassed that coming from the U.S., but American military assistance for Ukraine still far outweighs what the country is receiving from its European neighbors, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4603096-trump-asks-why-europe-isnt-giving-ukraine-more-aid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. According to the Institute for the World Economy&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.ifw-kiel.de/topics/war-against-ukraine/ukraine-support-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ukraine Support Tracker</a>,&#8221; which was last updated in mid-February, U.S. military commitments to Ukraine stand at over $42 billion. Germany, the second-biggest military supporter of Ukraine, has committed nearly $18 billion while the U.K. has pledged just over $9 billion in military support to Ukraine.
Combined, European nations would have to double their pace of military aid for Ukraine to match what&#8217;s coming from the U.S., according to The Hill.
Earlier this week, House Republicans <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-gop-unveils-foreign-aid-bills-expects-final-vote-over-weekend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed a trio of bills</a> focused on aiding allies around the globe, including Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. One of the bills would allocate $61 billion for the Ukraine-Russia war, but some of that money would go toward assisting regional partners while a third of the money is earmarked for replenishing America&#8217;s military assets.
Another bill proposed by Republicans would provide $26 billion for supporting Israel in its war against Hamas and reimbursing U.S. military operations, along with humanitarian aid. A third piece of legislation would allocate around $8 billion for U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan.
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Members of the House Freedom Caucus signaled opposition to the foreign aid bills put forward by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
Both the wars in Europe and the Middle East broke out well into President Joe Biden&#8217;s first term in the White House. The president is struggling to address the foreign conflicts while seeking maintain support from the far-Left heading into the 2024 presidential election. Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-reacts-to-irans-attack-on-israel-would-never-have-happened-if-i-were-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> his political rival last weekend after the conflict in the Middle East escalated when Iran attacked Israel with missiles and drones.
“ISRAEL IS UNDER ATTACK!&#8221; Trump wrote on Truth Social in the hours following Iran&#8217;s missile barrage. &#8220;This should never have been allowed to happen – This would NEVER have happened if I were President!”
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

Donald Trump

Trump Blasts European Nations For Not Matching U.S. Military Aid To Ukraine

Conflicts

Europe

Politics

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

A 28-year-old Dutch woman has decided to die by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/euthanasia">euthanasia</a> because she says she&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/depression">depressed</a>.
Zoraya ter Beek lives in a small village in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/netherlands">Netherlands</a> near the German border with her boyfriend and two cats in a nice home. She has scheduled her death date for May and spoke with <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/im-28-and-im-scheduled-to-die">The Free Press</a> about her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/social-issues">decision</a> despite being physically healthy.
Ter Beek says she was studying to become a psychiatrist but was never able to finish school due to mental health issues, plus having autism and borderline personality disorder, the outlet notes.
She said her psychiatrist told her, “There’s nothing more we can do for you. It’s never gonna get any better.”
“I was always very clear that if it doesn’t get better, I can’t do this anymore,” ter Beek said.
The Netherlands native reviewed the process, saying she’ll be administered a sedative before getting a lethal injection at home on her couch. “The doctor really takes her time. It is not that they walk in and say: lay down please! Most of the time it is first a cup of coffee to settle the nerves and create a soft atmosphere,” ter Beek explained. 
She continued, “Then she asks if I am ready. I will take my place on the couch. She will once again ask if I am sure, and she will start up the procedure and wish me a good journey. Or, in my case, a nice nap, because I hate it if people say, ‘Safe journey.’ I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m a little afraid of dying, because it’s the ultimate unknown,” she said. “We don’t really know what’s next—or is there nothing? That’s the scary part.”
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The Netherlands was the first country in the world to make euthanasia legal in 2001, the outlet noted.
“I’m seeing euthanasia as some sort of acceptable option brought to the table by physicians, by psychiatrists, when previously it was the ultimate last resort,” Stef Groenewoud, a health care ethicist at Theological University Kampen in the Netherlands, told The Free Press.
“I see the phenomenon especially in people with psychiatric diseases, and especially young people with psychiatric disorders, where the health care professional seems to give up on them more easily than before,” she continued.
There were 8,720 euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands in 2022, accounting for around 5% of all the country’s deaths, per <a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/2023/04/more-euthanasia-cases-in-2022-29-couples-helped-to-die/#google_vignette">DutchNews</a>. This represented a 4% increase from the previous year.
Last year, officials in the Netherlands also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dutch-government-makes-life-termination-available-for-children-as-young-as-one-year-old">expanded</a> the availability of “life termination” for children between one and twelve years of age for reasons of “hopeless and unbearable suffering.”

sad woman

Physically Healthy Dutch Woman, 28, Opts For Euthanasia Because Of Depression: ‘I Can’t Do This Anymore’

Physically Healthy Dutch Woman, 28, Opts For Euthanasia Because Of Depression

Depression

Euthanasia

Netherlands

Social Issues

World

In 16th century Scotland, it was easy to deal with problematic women.
Nearly 2,500 people were tried and mostly executed for “witchcraft.” Their crime? Largely, they were mouthy, opinionated, a bit odd, or disliked.
If “witch!” didn’t stick, “heretic!” would do the trick, under Scotland’s then pervasive anti-blasphemy laws.
“Othering” those of minority beliefs made them easy to hang.
With the spread of liberal democracy, Scotland’s witch trials went defunct. We thought we had learned tolerance. But on April 1 of this year, a new “blasphemy” law will come into effect – set to punish modern “heretics” who blaspheme against today’s dominant societal beliefs.
The “<a href="https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/hate-crime-and-public-order-scotland-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hate Speech and Public Order Act</a>” introduces a new offense of “stirring up hatred” on the basis of, inter alia, transgender identity.
Nobody likes to feel hated. But the government has failed to adequately define which speech is actually banned, leaving citizens open to prosecution for saying anything the state deems unacceptable — or that any given individual decides is offensive.
There are no private places beyond the state’s listening ears — the law applies even to dinner table discussions in the family home, and can be enforced if your children decide to report you for voicing your (un)orthodox beliefs.
The cost of “free speech” is at an all-time high.
Up to seven years behind bars await our new heretics.
And the mob already has their eyes set on a target, pitchforks sharpened. A wise and wizardly woman with decidedly problematic, public views about pronouns: J.K. Rowling.
In anticipation of the law’s launch on April 1, activists are in frenzied <a href="https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1769412494353678400?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anticipation</a> of bringing our most successful author down.
Having commentated on social media about the need to protect single-sexed prison cells, rape shelters and changing rooms, the world-renowned Scot put a target on her back to be hunted by the puritans of the Church of Woke.
Threats abound to report her to the police unless she succumbs to pressure to change her pronoun usage on “X.” The witch hunt has begun.
Of course, crying “witch” has gone out of fashion. In fact, in 2022, Scotland’s leader issued an official state <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/08/nicola-sturgeon-issues-apology-for-historical-injustice-of-witch-hunts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">apology</a> for the ‘historical injustice’ of witch hunts. But name-calling the enemy is too successful a technique to stop.
And so the Scottish authorities have slapped a new name on an old story, and this week launched an infantilizing <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13198995/Police-face-ridicule-ludicrous-Hate-Monster-campaign.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">campaign</a> to support their new law. Beware: “The hate monster”!
The campaign, backed with public money, warns us against “the feeling some people get when they are frustrated and angry and take it out on others, because they feel like they need to show they are better than them’ — ‘in other words, they ­commit a hate crime.”
Young, white, working-class men are the most likely to succumb to “the hate monster,” we’re told, in a prejudicial jibe at a disadvantaged demographic. Holding alternative beliefs to those of the wealthy elite doth not make man “monster.”
Expressing anger is not, in itself, a crime. Rowling hasn’t even expressed anger. She’s merely spoken truthfully about biological reality. She may not be a working-class male. But she has reason to worry nonetheless.
Where hate speech laws have been enforced around the world, citizens have been prosecuted for tweets of a similarly cordial tone. In Finland, a parliamentarian and grandmother underwent a <a href="https://adfinternational.org/en-gb/portfolio/free-speech-on-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criminal trial</a> for a Bible verse tweet that questioned her Church’s sponsorship of a pride event.
In Mexico, <a href="https://adfinternational.org/news/mexican-civil-society-leader-found-guilty-of-gender-based-political-violence-for-tweets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two</a> <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/human-rights-group-demands-response-mexican-government-lawmaker-charged-political-violence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">politicians</a> from differing parties have both been convicted of “gender based political violence” and placed on an offenders’ register, simply for upholding their beliefs about gender and pronouns on Musk’s platform.
There’s nothing to stop Scotland’s hate crime law from doing the same thing — either to J.K. Rowling; or to another citizen with less money and influence to withstand the pressure.
The author of the wizarding world could be at the center of her own next witchy tale.
The Scottish government should take heed. Jailing citizens for having the “wrong” opinions — whether a working-class male or billionaire female — has never fallen on the right side of history.
* * *
Lois McLatchie Miller is Senior Legal Communications Officer for Alliance Defending Freedom UK. Follow her: @LoisMcLatch
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

JK Rowling

Scotland’s New Blasphemy Law Could Put J.K. Rowling In Jail

Scotland's New Blasphemy Law Could Put J.K. Rowling In Jail

Great Britain

Hate Speech

Parliament

Prison

Readers Pass

Scotland

Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s taoiseach or prime minister, announced Wednesday that he will step down in a shocking move.
During a press briefing outside Parliament in Dublin, Varadkar said he was resigning for “personal and political” reasons. He called his years leading the country the “most fulfilling time” of his life.
“I know this will come as a surprise to many people and a disappointment to some, but I hope you will understand my decision,” Varadkar said during the briefing.
Varadkar, who became Ireland&#8217;s youngest and first openly gay taoiseach in 2017, said he would also step down as leader of the Fine Gael party. He said his resignation as party leader is effective immediately, but he would continue to serve as prime minister until the party elects a new leader. That will likely happen before the Irish parliament&#8217;s Easter break, and the new leader is expected to take office afterward on April 16.
“There is never a right time to resign high office,” he said. “However, this is as good a time as any.”
Varadkar&#8217;s announcement comes just days after he met with President Joe Biden at the White House on St. Patrick&#8217;s Day.
His decision also comes after Irish voters <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/09/world/europe/ireland-constitution-referendums-women-home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected</a> two proposed changes to the country&#8217;s constitution earlier this month. One change would have expanded the definition of family beyond marriage. The other change would have removed language saying the state should work to make sure mothers are not forced by economic necessity to work outside of the home, language that was criticized as “sexist.”
As a member of the Irish Parliament, Varadkar saw two referendums pass that changed the Irish constitution to allow both same-sex marriage and abortion.
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Varadkar&#8217;s resignation will not trigger an early election. Ireland is scheduled for a general election early next year.
An emotional Varadkar on Wednesday <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna144222" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emphasized</a> that there was no “real reason” behind his move.
“I know, inevitably, there will be speculation as to the ‘real reason’ for my decision,” he said during the press briefing. “These are the real reasons. That’s it. I have nothing else lined up or in mind. No definite personal or political plans, but I am looking forward to having the time to think about them.”
&#8220;I have nothing in mind,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I have no definite personal or political plans.&#8221;
“Politicians are human beings, and we have our limitations,” he said.

EU Leaders Discuss Middle East Situation And Ukraine At Brussels Summit

Irish Prime Minister Resigns Suddenly

Global Politics

Ireland

Irish

The world has become obsessed with the current status of Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, all thanks to a photo editing fail.
The duchess spent a lot of time in the public eye as the wife of heir apparent to the British throne, Prince William. For years, Kate’s been attending events looking put-together and smiling, even posing for photos – <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2018/04/23/how-does-duchess-kate-do/543533002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in high heels</a> – hours after giving birth to the couple’s third child, Prince Louis.
<div id="attachment_711365" style="width: 393px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-711365" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-711365" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-950576452-383x576.jpg" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 23: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge depart the Lindo Wing with their new born son Prince Louis of Cambridge at St Mary's Hospital on April 23, 2018 in London, England. The Duchess safely delivered a boy at 11:01 am, weighing 8lbs 7oz, who will be fifth in line to the throne. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)" width="383" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-950576452-383x576.jpg 383w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-950576452-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-950576452.jpg 681w" sizes="(max-width: 383px) 100vw, 383px" />Chris Jackson/Getty Images</div>
Her strength and resilience are part of what is feeding the online conspiracy theorists who are convinced something awful has happened to the Princess of Wales. Kensington Palace first announced in January that the duchess would be taking a break from public appearances as she recovered from “abdominal surgery.” From the very first moments, followers wondered about the vague wording and the extended recovery time.
“The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery,” a press release from January 17 said. “Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”
“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” it said. “She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”
The only other detail given was that her condition was “non-cancerous.”
A second statement released on January 29 assured fans that Kate was “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kate-middleton-returns-home-from-hospital-after-surgery-making-good-progress">making good progress</a>” with her recovery and would be returning home to finish recuperating.
<div id="attachment_711369" style="width: 872px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-711369" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-711369" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1945127752-862x576.jpg" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 18: In this photo illustration, A selection of front pages from UK daily national newspaper coverage of of King Charles and Catherine, The Princess of Wales being admitted to hospital on January 18, 2024 in London, England. Catherine, The Princess of Wales, was admitted to The London Clinic for abdominal surgery yesterday. The surgery was successful and she will recover in the hospital for the next 10-14 days and is not expected to resume formal engagements until after Easter. (Photo by Ming Yeung/Getty Images)" width="862" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1945127752-862x576.jpg 862w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1945127752-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1945127752-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1945127752.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 862px) 100vw, 862px" />Ming Yeung/Getty Images</div>
Followers started circulating all kinds of theories about why the Princess of Wales was off duty for so long. Their obsession became so extreme that Kensington Palace put out another statement on February 29 reiterating that Kate would be out until Easter, as they said, and that everyone should just calm down.
“Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance still stands,” the tersely worded statement said.
Perhaps the speculation would have died out or at least stayed under the radar if not for the complete PR disaster that occurred on March 10, which is when Mother’s Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom.
Kate shared a photo of herself and her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louise, in honor of the holiday. “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” the Instagram image caption said. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”
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Almost immediately, viewers noticed that there was visible editing done in the photo resulting in part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve disappearing completely. The edits were so egregious that three major news agencies issued a “kill notice” on the photo due to it being digitally altered.
“AP initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. But AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appeared the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards,” the agency wrote at the time. “The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”
Agence France-Presse (AFP), one of the biggest news agencies in the world, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/afp-news-agency-says-kensington-palace-isnt-trusted-source-after-princess-kate-photo-scandal">said</a> the photo made it so Kensington Palace was no longer a trusted source. The organization’s global news director Phil Chetwynd told BBC Radio 4 that “kill notices” for photos are used rarely, and are usually done with content coming out of Iran or North Korea.
“One thing that’s really important is you cannot be distorting reality for the public,” Chetwynd said. “There’s a question of trust. And the big issue here is one of trust, and the lack of trust and the falling trust of the general public in institutions generally and in the media. And so it’s extremely important that a photo does represent broadly the reality that it’s seen in.&#8221;
After the extreme backlash, Kensington Palace issued an apology directly from Kate.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the duchess wrote on Twitter. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
<div id="attachment_711417" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-711417" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-711417" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1757274670-864x576.jpg" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 1: Catherine, Princess of Wales takes part in a Dad Walk in the local park during a visit to &quot;Dadvengers&quot;, a community for dads and their children, in Arnos Grove, north London, to highlight the important role that Dads play in their children's earliest years, as part of her Shaping Us campaign on early childhood, on November 1, 2023 in London, England. Dadvengers is predominately an online community which works to support dads on their journey through parenthood. It has a strong focus on mental wellbeing and supports new fathers in a variety of ways including through online training programmes, podcasts, and more recently the in-person Dad Walks. (Photo by Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1757274670-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1757274670-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1757274670-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1757274670.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Yui Mok &#8211; WPA Pool/Getty Images</div>
However, sources from the news agencies reported that the Palace refused any requests for the original photo.
Within hours of the photo drama playing out across the internet, scores of royal sleuths started putting forth their theories, which spread like wildfire on social media. Kate was dead! She was in a coma! Or perhaps she was recovering from horribly disfiguring cosmetic surgery. None of the wildest theories seemed likely, yet the Palace’s refusal to share the original photo just helped add fuel to the fire.
Some conspiracy theorists even dreamt up a tale of Kate having a nervous breakdown because her husband was cheating with her ex-friend Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, referencing unsubstantiated <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a60185991/prince-william-rose-hanbury-affair-rumors-kate-middleton-conspiracy-theories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affair rumors</a> that went viral in 2019.
It didn’t help that two other times the duchess was spotted in public, the photos weren’t very clear. First was the week before the photo debacle when Kate was seen, in a pair of sunglasses, in the passenger seat of her mother’s car. The second time photographers caught a photo of the back of Kate’s head as she rode in a car with Prince William.
<div id="attachment_711413" style="width: 883px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-711413" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-711413" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1243027787-873x576.jpg" alt="BRACKNELL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 07: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis (C), accompanied by their parents the Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, arrive for a settling in afternoon at Lambrook School, near Ascot on September 7, 2022 in Bracknell, England. The family have set up home in Adelaide Cottage in Windsor's Home Park as their base after the Queen gave them permission to lease the four-bedroom Grade II listed home. (Photo by Jonathan Brady - Pool/Getty Images)" width="873" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1243027787-873x576.jpg 873w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1243027787-300x198.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1243027787-768x507.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1243027787.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 873px) 100vw, 873px" />Jonathan Brady &#8211; Pool/Getty Images</div>
Now another news report from The Sun says Kate was spotted out shopping over the weekend near her home in Windsor on Saturday, looking “happy, relaxed and healthy.” There are no photos or named sources, but that’s the story being given.
“Kate [Middleton] was out shopping with William and she looked happy and she looked well,” an unnamed source told the outlet, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kate-middleton-reportedly-spotted-looking-happy-healthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. “The kids weren’t with them but it’s such a good sign she was healthy enough to pop down to the shops.”
The source added, “After all the rumors that had been going round I was stunned to see them there.”
There’s a good chance the rumors will keep swirling until Easter when the Princess of Wales makes her return to public duties. In the meantime, she’ll likely want to leave the photo editing to the professionals.

The Prince And Princess Of Wales Visit Sandringham

The Kate Middleton Photo Drama, A Timeline

England

Kate Middleton

Prince William

Royal Family

The European Commission previewed a proposal this week to create a €100 billion, or about $109 billion, defense fund to build out the bloc’s military industrial base, but earned criticism from some European leaders.
The proposal is aimed at making the European Union more self-reliant in providing arms, ammunition, and defense technology to its members. Officials backing the proposal said the fund is necessary to counter Moscow, a major concern of E.U. bloc members after Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.
“In response to Russia&#8217;s aggression against Ukraine, the E.U. must bolster its defense capabilities,” E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/peace-dividend-dead-brussels-plan-war-ukraine-eurobonds-thierry-breton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> recently.
The plan would require unanimous approval from E.U. member countries. French President Emmanuel Macron has long supported a more centralized approach to defense from the E.U. Many of the bloc’s members have expressed skepticism at the proposal, however.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has previously <a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/eu-army-commission-floats-e100-billion-defense-fund/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that a centralized E.U. defense fund would be too impractical to work. Other officials, such as Austrian MEP Harald Vilimsky, are wary of centralizing too much national security authority with the bloc.
“If the centralists have their way, we will have an E.U. army tomorrow, with an E.U. defence minister and EU headquarters, all under the umbrella of NATO,” he told <a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/pure-fantasy-eu-defence-plans-criticised-by-member-states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The European Conservative</a>.
The plan was introduced with an initial starting pot of about $1.5 billion, a small sum relative to its goal and the cost of funding a military, generally. Officials did not propose a clear mechanism for funding the European Defence Investment Program (EDIP), as the fund has been called, though Borrell did suggest this week that some of the money could be gained from siezed Russian assets.
“If we agree that these assets can be used to support Ukraine’s reconstruction, it could also be used to avoid Ukraine’s destruction, and its means to increase military capacities or the defense technological base of Ukraine,” Borrell <a href="https://twitter.com/EU_Commission/status/1764972093416866104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The EDIP, if implemented, would redirect billions of dollars away from the U.S. defense industry toward building up the continent&#8217;s own military-industrial complex. A French national security think tank, known as IRIS, found that the E.U. relies on foreign countries for the vast majority of its military manufacturing, with the United States being by far the bloc’s largest supplier.
“The value of defence acquisitions announced by EU countries from the start of the [Ukraine-Russia] war to June 2023 is of just above €100 billion. Over the 12 months from June 2022 to June 2023, they amounted to €75 billion, compared with €52 billion euros for the year 2021,” the September 2023 <a href="https://www.iris-france.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/19_ProgEuropeIndusDef_JPMaulny.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> said. “From this total, 78% is being procured from outside the EU, including 80% from the US, 13% from South Korea, 3% each from the UK and Israel, and 1% from other countries. This leaves €21 billion for EU countries themselves. Alone, the US accounts for 63% of EU countries&#8217; acquisition plans.”
The proposed EDIP plan would redirect much of Europe’s military spending toward building up a local national security industry over the next decade. The commission’s proposed timeline aims to have half of Europe’s defense spending local by 2030, increased to 60% by 2035.

Josep Borrell

European Leaders Skeptical After E.U. Floats $109 Billion Defense Fund To Counter Russia

European Union

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officially added a new member state on Wednesday as Sweden became the 32nd country to join the alliance.
The entry of the Scandinavian country, which borders Russia, comes two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the biggest war on the European continent since World War II.
&#8220;This is a historic day. Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions,&#8221; said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. &#8220;After over 200 years of non-alignment Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of Allies’ freedom and security.&#8221;
Article 5 ensures that member states are protected from attacks by requiring all member states to come to the aid of any country that is attacked. The only time that Article 5 has ever been activated was after Islamic terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.
&#8220;Sweden brings with it capable armed forces and a first-class defence industry,&#8221; Stoltenberg added. &#8220;Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole Alliance more secure. Today’s accession demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path.&#8221;
Sweden&#8217;s entrance into NATO marks the end of a nearly 80-year post-World War II era of neutrality for the country.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🇸🇪 Sweden became NATO’s newest member upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington DC. 
With Sweden’s accession, NATO now counts 32 countries among its members
&mdash; NATO (@NATO) <a href="https://twitter.com/NATO/status/1765792533378933201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sweden is now the second country to join NATO since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the war in Ukraine as Finland <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-northern-european-country-to-join-nato-as-tensions-with-russia-rise">joined</a> the organization last year.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that &#8220;everything changed&#8221; for the organization after Russia invaded Ukraine and that &#8220;everything that Putin sought to prevent, he has actually precipitated by his actions, by his aggression.&#8221;
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;Swedes realized something very profound: that if Putin was willing to try to erase one neighbor from the map, then he might well not stop there,&#8221; he said.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that Sweden&#8217;s entrance into NATO was a &#8220;historic day&#8221; for the country.
&#8220;We are humbled, but we are also proud,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We will live up to high expectations from all NATO allies. United we stand. Unity and solidarity will be Sweden’s guiding light.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-US-SWEDEN-DIPLOMACY-BLINKEN-KRISTERSSON

NATO Officially Adds New Member State

NATO

Sweden

Doritos has fired a trans-identifying male influencer who <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/doritos-spain-faces-backlash-transgender-brand-ambassadors-resurfaced-tweets-1875763">reportedly</a> posted sexual comments about children in the past.
Over the weekend, Samantha Hudson, a trans-identifying man and social media influencer, appeared in a 50-second Instagram promo called “Crunch Talks” for Doritos Spain, which is part of PepsiCo Spain.
A Doritos Spain spokesperson <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boycottdoritos-spanish-trans-influencer-samantha-hudson-1234981041/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Rolling Stone that the company had launched a campaign with Hudson on Sunday before they were aware of his previous comments.
On Monday, after the company was “made aware of Samantha’s deleted Tweets from around 2015,” the spokesperson said the Instagram video was removed.
“We have ended the relationship and stopped all related campaign activity due to the comments,” the Doritos Spain spokesperson <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/06/us-news/doritos-spain-fires-transgender-influencer-ivan-ranedo-over-controversial-tweets/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We strongly condemn words or actions that promote violence or sexism of any kind.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Doritos facing backlash for hiring TRANS man to be the face of the brand in Spain. 
Samantha Hudson, a biological man, has sparked outrage across the country for some of his tweets where he shares his fantasies about abusing kids.
H/T <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@libsoftiktok</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/hermanntertsch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hermanntertsch</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ef3z6Xir10">pic.twitter.com/Ef3z6Xir10</a>
&mdash; Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1764688557136843201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🇪🇸 | Fuerte polémica en España tras conocerse que Doritos eligió a Samantha Hudson como embajadora de su marca en el país europeo.
Samantha Hudson: &#8211; Ha admitido ser una persona pedófila &#8211; Se identifica como una chica trans no binaria &#8211; Se burla abiertamente de las víctimas de… <a href="https://t.co/ur3l2orx3S">pic.twitter.com/ur3l2orx3S</a>
&mdash; UHN PLUS (@UHN_Plus) <a href="https://twitter.com/UHN_Plus/status/1764655776813969632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The campaign’s removal and Hudson’s termination was due to Hudson’s history of controversial comments, not his gender identity, the spokesperson <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boycottdoritos-spanish-trans-influencer-samantha-hudson-1234981041/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
“Being perfect is not easy, but you end up getting used to it,” Hudson says in the Doritos Instagram spot, according to a translation.
By Monday, several jarring sexual posts about children that Hudson allegedly wrote resurfaced, sparking outrage online.
“I want to do thuggish things [to] a 12-year-old girl,” Hudson allegedly posted on X several years ago, adding a description of an extreme sexual crime against a child.
Hudson, 24, was <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/doritos-spain-faces-backlash-transgender-brand-ambassadors-resurfaced-tweets-1875763" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> 15 when he allegedly made that post.
“In the middle of the street in Mallorca in panties and screaming that I’m a nymphomaniac in front of a super beautiful 8-year-old girl,” Hudson allegedly wrote in another post.
Hudson also appears to have previously said that he wants to destroy the traditional nuclear family.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;I advocate for the destruction and for the annihilation of the traditional family.&quot; Brand ambassador for Doritos and self-described pedophiIe Samantha Hudson <a href="https://t.co/j4hPgmoaxi">pic.twitter.com/j4hPgmoaxi</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1764724659088482349?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I advocate for the destruction and for the annihilation of the traditional, monogamous, nuclear family,” Hudson said in a video posted to X by several social media users.
“Not that I’m going to beat up my parents,” he added to laughter from an audience.
In yet another X post, Hudson allegedly said that he hates women who are rape victims.
“I hate women who are victims of rape and who turn to self-help centers to overcome their trauma. k fat wh****,” Hudson allegedly wrote.
Hudson himself previously attempted to explain away his old posts when they came to light after he became a minor celebrity, Rolling Stone reported.
“Some tweets that I posted in 2015 are resurfacing and honestly I don’t know what to say, I don’t remember having written such barbarities,” he <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boycottdoritos-spanish-trans-influencer-samantha-hudson-1234981041/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, according to a translation of his posts. “At that time I dedicated myself to saying nonsense, the heavier the better, because I thought that ‘dark humor’ was funny.”
The backlash over Doritos Spain’s decision to partner with Hudson echoes the reaction in the U.S. to Bud Light collaborating with trans-identifying influencer Dylan Mulvaney last year.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Bud Light’s parent company <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/03/business/anheuser-busch-revenue-bud-light-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost</a> $395 million in the aftermath of a boycott.
Target also faced an expensive boycott last year over its Pride Month merchandise, which <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-target-lgbtq-1203e875adcc7c86f62252d4ace1a738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included</a> a kid’s swimsuit with a tag reading “thoughtfully fit on multiple body types and gender expressions” and “The Pronoun Book” aimed at children.

PepsiCo Products Ahead Of Earnings Released

Doritos Fires Trans-Identifying Influencer After Backlash To Sexual Comments About Children

Bud Light

Business

Food

Gender

Spain

Target

Transgender

Doritos Spain is facing backlash for partnering with a trans-identifying man who <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/doritos-spain-faces-backlash-transgender-brand-ambassadors-resurfaced-tweets-1875763">reportedly</a> posted sexual comments about children in the past.
Over the weekend, Samantha Hudson, a trans-identifying man and social media influencer, appeared in a 50-second Instagram promo called &#8220;Crunch Talks&#8221; for Doritos Spain, which falls under PepsiCo Spain.
&#8220;Being perfect is not easy, but you end up getting used to it,&#8221; Hudson says in the spot, according to a translation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Doritos facing backlash for hiring TRANS man to be the face of the brand in Spain. 
Samantha Hudson, a biological man, has sparked outrage across the country for some of his tweets where he shares his fantasies about abusing kids.
H/T <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@libsoftiktok</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/hermanntertsch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hermanntertsch</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ef3z6Xir10">pic.twitter.com/Ef3z6Xir10</a>
&mdash; Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1764688557136843201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🇪🇸 | Fuerte polémica en España tras conocerse que Doritos eligió a Samantha Hudson como embajadora de su marca en el país europeo.
Samantha Hudson: &#8211; Ha admitido ser una persona pedófila &#8211; Se identifica como una chica trans no binaria &#8211; Se burla abiertamente de las víctimas de… <a href="https://t.co/ur3l2orx3S">pic.twitter.com/ur3l2orx3S</a>
&mdash; UHN PLUS (@UHN_Plus) <a href="https://twitter.com/UHN_Plus/status/1764655776813969632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
By Monday, however, Newsweek reported that several jarring sexual posts about children that Hudson allegedly posted resurfaced, sparking outrage online.
&#8220;I want to do thuggish things [to] a 12-year-old girl,&#8221; Hudson allegedly posted on X several years ago, adding a description of an extreme sexual crime against a child.
Hudson, 24, was <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/doritos-spain-faces-backlash-transgender-brand-ambassadors-resurfaced-tweets-1875763" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> 15 when he allegedly made that post.
&#8220;In the middle of the street in Mallorca in panties and screaming that I&#8217;m a nymphomaniac in front of a super beautiful 8-year-old girl,&#8221; Hudson allegedly wrote in another post.
Hudson also appears to have previously said that he wants to destroy the traditional nuclear family.
&#8220;I advocate for the destruction and for the annihilation of the traditional, monogamous, nuclear family,&#8221; Hudson said in a video posted to X by several social media users.
&#8220;Not that I&#8217;m going to beat up my parents,&#8221; he added to laughter from an audience.
In yet another X post, Hudson allegedly said that he hates women who are rape victims.
&#8220;I hate women who are victims of rape and who turn to self-help centers to overcome their trauma. k fat wh****,&#8221; Hudson wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;I advocate for the destruction and for the annihilation of the traditional family.&quot; Brand ambassador for Doritos and self-described pedophiIe Samantha Hudson <a href="https://t.co/j4hPgmoaxi">pic.twitter.com/j4hPgmoaxi</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1764724659088482349?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A Doritos Spain spokesperson <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boycottdoritos-spanish-trans-influencer-samantha-hudson-1234981041/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Rolling Stone that the company had launched a campaign with Hudson on Sunday before they were aware of his previous comments.
On Monday, after the company became aware of his comments, the spokesperson said the Instagram video was removed. The campaign&#8217;s removal and Hudson&#8217;s termination was due to Hudson&#8217;s history of controversial comments, not his gender identity, the spokesperson <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boycottdoritos-spanish-trans-influencer-samantha-hudson-1234981041/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Hudson himself previously attempted to explain away his old posts when they came to light after he became a minor celebrity.
“Some tweets that I posted in 2015 are resurfacing and honestly I don’t know what to say, I don’t remember having written such barbarities,” he <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boycottdoritos-spanish-trans-influencer-samantha-hudson-1234981041/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, according to a translation of his posts. “At that time I dedicated myself to saying nonsense, the heavier the better, because I thought that ‘dark humor’ was funny.”
The backlash over Doritos Spain&#8217;s decision to partner with Hudson echoes the reaction in the U.S. to Bud Light collaborating with trans-identifying influencer Dylan Mulvaney last year.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Bud Light&#8217;s parent company <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/03/business/anheuser-busch-revenue-bud-light-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost</a> $395 million in the aftermath of a boycott.
Target faced an expensive boycott last year as well over its Pride Month merchandise, which <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-target-lgbtq-1203e875adcc7c86f62252d4ace1a738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included</a> a kid&#8217;s swimsuit with a tag reading “thoughtfully fit on multiple body types and gender expressions” as well as “The Pronoun Book” aimed at children.
&nbsp;

Food Packaged

Doritos Facing Backlash For Partnering With Trans-Identifying Influencer Who Allegedly Made Sexual Comments About Children

Doritos Facing Backlash For Partnering With Trans-Identifying Influencer Who Made Sexual Comments About Children

Dylan Mulvaney

A man wearing a kippah was attacked late last week in France after leaving a synagogue in Paris, French officials said in a statement over the weekend.
The attacker, who authorities are trying to locate, reportedly shouted &#8220;dirty Jew&#8221; during the attack on the 62-year-old man. The victim reportedly lost consciousness after being struck.
&#8220;According to initial information, a new anti-Semitic attack took place in Paris yesterday evening,&#8221; said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. &#8220;Everything is being done to find the author of this unspeakable act. Furthermore, on my instructions, since yesterday the prefects have reinforced surveillance of places frequented by our Jewish compatriots who must not be victims of the tragedies taking place in the Middle East.&#8221;
Darmanin ordered that there be a visible increase of law enforcement near areas where Jews are located, specifically focusing on schools and synagogues.
There has been an increase in anti-Semitic attacks worldwide in the days leading up to Ramadan, including a Jewish dentist who was murdered late last weekend in San Diego by an Islamic man and a teenager who pledged allegiance to ISIS and stabbed a Jewish man in Zurich over the weekend.
The significant uptick in global anti-Semitic incidents and terror attacks began with Hamas&#8217; unprecedented terrorist attack on October 7.
As Israel prepares to take Hamas&#8217; last stronghold inside Gaza, the city of Rafah, Israel&#8217;s tensions with Hezbollah on its northern border with Lebanon have increased. Iran, which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah, reportedly gave Hezbollah the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iran-gives-hezbollah-green-light-to-launch-full-scale-attack-on-israel-report">green light</a> last week to launch a full-scale attack against Israel if Israel takes Rafah.
Iran reportedly gave the order because it believes that once Israel is done eliminating terrorists inside Rafah, it will then attack Hezbollah’s positions in southern Lebanon.
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“[Hezbollah Secretary-General] Hassan Nasrallah told [Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) Commander Esmail] Qaani that the attack is likely to be very imminent, most likely in the month of Ramadan, or with Israel’s invasion of the city of Rafah,” an IRGC source told Arabic Post. “Nasrallah said that he is completely certain of [Israel’s] intention to launch a large-scale attack on Lebanon, and he asked Qaani to give him complete freedom in how he intends to attack.”

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After more than a year of negotiations, Sweden is set to become the 32nd member of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nato">NATO</a>.
The Nordic country broke with nearly 2 centuries of neutrality in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and formally applied for NATO membership in May of that year, alongside neighboring Finland, which also abandoned its longstanding policy of neutrality to join the alliance.
Joining NATO requires the unanimous consent of all current members – while most NATO nations were quick to approve the applications, Finland and Sweden both faced opposition from Hungary and Turkey. Pressure from the rest of the alliance and various concessions appear to have put those objections to rest. Finland formally joined NATO in April 2023. Turkey approved Sweden’s membership bid last month and on Monday the Hungarian parliament also approved it.
“The parliaments of all NATO member states have now voted in favor of Swedish accession to NATO.” Swedish Prime Minister <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&amp;sca_esv=59bcec2abd4eef4d&amp;sca_upv=1&amp;rls=en&amp;q=Ulf+Kristersson&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgVuLUz9U3sDQ0sDR_xGjCLfDyxz1hKe1Ja05eY1Tl4grOyC93zSvJLKkUEudig7J4pbi5ELp4FrHyh-akKXgXZRaXpBYVF-fnAQD7xV2vVgAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwio6LbOjsqEAxVB_skDHZbBCKQQzIcDKAB6BAgeEAE">Ulf Kristersson</a> <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/sweden-to-join-nato/#:~:text=BUDAPEST%20%E2%80%94%20At%20last%2C%20Sweden%20will,vote%20to%20approve%20the%20move.">said</a>. “Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security.”
Sweden is expected to officially join the organization in a ceremony sometime this week, after all the necessary paperwork has been finalized.
Turkey previously accused the two Scandinavian nations of being soft on Kurdish militants, who have been in conflict with Turkey’s government for decades. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appears to have backed down in exchange for increased weapons sales to his country – including the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-says-move-forward-with-transfer-f-16-jets-turkey-2023-07-11/">transfer</a> of American made F-16 fighter jets.
Hungary’s objections appear to have been a response to past Swedish criticism of the Hungarian government under Viktor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Orb%C3%A1n">Orbán</a>. Hungary’s shift in policy also coincides with an arms deal – Hungary <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/hungary-sign-defence-industry-deal-with-sweden-pm-orban-says-2024-02-23/">purchased</a> four Swedish fighter jets days before ratifying its NATO bid.
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<div id="attachment_702025" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-702025" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-702025" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Major_NATO_affiliations_in_Europe.svg_-300x230.png" alt="" width="300" height="230" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Major_NATO_affiliations_in_Europe.svg_-300x230.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Major_NATO_affiliations_in_Europe.svg_.png 330w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Wikimedia Commons</div>
The expansion of NATO has been a major point of contention with Russia – one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stated reasons for invading Ukraine was to prevent the country from joining the Western military bloc and moving its forces to the Russian border. Finland, which, like Ukraine, was also once part of the Russian Empire, has an 830 mile long land border with Russia, and with the accession of Sweden and Finland the alliance will almost totally encircle the Baltic Sea, where the Russian port of St. Petersburg strategic exclave of Kaliningrad are located.
While Russia hasn’t taken direct military action against either nation, relations have cooled considerably between it and the formally neutral nations. Last year the Russian ambassador to Sweden said the country had become a “legitimate target for Russian retaliatory measures” and Finland closed its border with Russia.
&#8220;When it comes to Russia, the only thing we can expect is that they will not like that Sweden is becoming a NATO member,&#8221; Kristersson <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungary-set-ratify-swedens-nato-accession-clearing-last-hurdle-2024-02-26/">said</a>. &#8220;What they do in addition to that, we cannot know. We are prepared for all sorts of things.&#8221;

Hungarian parliament approves Sweden’s NATO bid, last member of alliance that had not given green light

Sweden Set To Officially Join NATO

Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a top contender to be the next leader of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nato" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NATO</a>, encouraged Western allies to stop fretting over the prospect of former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> returning to the White House.
&#8220;We should stop moaning and whining and nagging about Trump,&#8221; Rutte said to the Munich Security Conference, <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-02-17/stop-whining-about-trump-and-focus-on-europes-interests-dutch-pm-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Reuters</a>. He added, &#8220;It&#8217;s up to the Americans. I&#8217;m not an American, I cannot vote in the U.S. We have to work with whoever is on the dance floor.&#8221;
Trump, who is running another campaign for a second term, prompted a firestorm this month when he told an anecdote about how he used hardball tactics to negotiate with other world leaders on supporting the NATO alliance.
At an event in South Carolina, Trump spoke about how NATO was &#8220;busted&#8221; until he got <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-16/nato-members-ramp-up-defense-spending-after-pressure-from-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allied countries to increase their</a> defense spending under pressure to do more to meet the <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49198.htm#:~:text=The%202%25%20defence%20investment%20guideline,ensure%20the%20Alliance's%20military%20readiness." target="_blank" rel="noopener">2% minimum GDP defense investment guideline</a>.
&#8220;One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, &#8216;Well sir, if we don&#8217;t pay and we&#8217;re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?&#8217; I said, you didn&#8217;t pay? You&#8217;re delinquent? He said, &#8216;Yes, let&#8217;s say that happened.&#8217; No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay,&#8221; Trump said.
Some took Trump&#8217;s comments as suggesting he would allow the United States to neglect its <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_110496.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 5 duties</a> and even take Russia&#8217;s side in the event of an attack, but the former president indicated he&#8217;s focused on getting NATO allies to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-explains-nato-stance-after-negotiating-story-draws-controversy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;equalize&#8221; contributions</a>.
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Rutte, who is seen as a leading candidate to follow Jens Stoltenberg as <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-21/rutte-seizes-lead-in-nato-job-race-as-he-exits-dutch-politics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secretary general</a> of NATO later this year, explained to German news outlet Deutsche Welle his position, saying, &#8220;Let&#8217;s stop moaning and nagging and whining about Trump&#8221; because the 2024 election has not happened yet.
&#8220;We need to invest in our defense expenditure. We need to massively ramp up arms production, and we need to massively do more in support to Ukraine,&#8221; Rutte said. &#8220;This has nothing to do with Trump,&#8221; he continued, adding later how allies should &#8220;be making sure that our defense is at maximum capacity.&#8221;

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