Former US president Donald Trump’s comment that he would not defend NATO members that do not meet defence spending targets continued to evoke reactions in the European capitals all this week. But Moscow’s response to Putin critic Alexei Navalny’s death in an Arctic jail as well as major battlefield gain in Ukraine after the fall of Adviika dominated the news cycle.
Elsewhere, a new president has been elected to govern Indonesia. While in Islamabad, the country’s disputed elections continue to loom large as the caretaker prime minister awaits a successor amid the military’s defining dominance.
Read this and more in The Capitals this week.
Doha, Qatar; Abu Dhabi, UAE
Visiting West Asia this week, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi first stopped at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he signed an investment treaty, addressed a gathering of 40,000 Indian expatriates, and opened a vast new Hindu temple. Modi then headed to the Qatari capital Doha days after New Delhi secured the release of eight Indians jailed there for alleged espionage. Meanwhile, several Indian Navy ships were in close vicinity, aiding the protection of global shipping under threat from Houthi attacks.
Also watch | Gravitas: India’s PM Modi inaugurates first Hindu mandir in Abu Dhabi | Temples in Muslim countries
New Delhi’s geopolitical heft in West Asia was in full display this week as Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded one of his final overseas visits ahead of India’s General Elections later this year in which he is seeking a third term in a row.
Brussels, Belgium (European Union headquarters)
Former US President Donald Trump again said that if he returns to the White House, he would not defend NATO members that don’t meet defence spending targets. The alarm bells rang in Brussels as the NATO allies of the United States braced for a potential Trump win.
Now 18 of the 31 countries announced that they are set to spend 2 per cent of their GDP on defence, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.
As of 2016, only 5 of the 31 countries met the 2 per cent spending target.
“We have to listen and take note of the following: the criticism that we hear [from Trump] is not primarily about NATO. It is about NATO allies not spending enough. And that is a valid point that European allies and Canada have to spend more,” Stoltenbrg said.
Moscow, Russia
Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most vociferous critic died in an Arctic Circle jail while serving 19 years on extremism charges. While the Kremlin said that Russia’s penitentiary service was making all checks regarding Navalny’s death, the West’s accusation of President Putin’s role sparked defensive outrage in Russian corridors of power.
Meanwhile, as the war in Ukraine is about to enter its third year in the third week of February, Russian troops captured Adviivka in Ukraine, one of the most fortified settlements that have been described as a ‘gateway’ to the nearby Russia-controlled Donetsk.
Moscow claimed that it was in complete control of Avdiivka after Kyiv withdrew its forces from the area.
Jakarta, Indonesia
Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto declared victory in this week’s presidential election after unofficial results showed him trouncing rivals in his third shot at the top job in the world’s third-largest democracy.
Prabowo galvanised support with the tacit backing of the wildly popular incumbent Joko Widodo, who bet on his former rival as a continuity candidate to preserve his legacy, bolstered by the inclusion of the president’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as Prabowo’s running mate.
The world’s biggest single-day election saw nearly 259,000 candidates and 18 parties contest 20,600 posts across the archipelago of 17,000 islands.
Washington said that the vote was “a testament to the durability and strength of the Indonesian people’s commitment to the democratic process”.
Islamabad, Pakistan
The disputed Feb 8 elections of Pakistan continue to keep uncertain waters of Pakistan’s corridors of power rather choppier. The country’s Supreme Court on Monday (Feb 19) will hear the petition if the elections should be declared null and void.
That’s all for The Capitals this week. See you next weekend.
