Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that boosting Ukraine's air defences will be a top priority when the alliance's defence ministers meet in Brussels on Wednesday.
Talk about providing Kyiv with more assistance comes two days after the Ukrainian capital was the target of heavy Russian missile strikes.
“Allies have provided air defence, but we need even more, we need different types of air defence,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
The Nato chief said that what was needed was “short-range, long-range air-defence systems to take ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones”.
A first IRIS-T air defence system promised to Kyiv by Germany has reached Ukraine, with three more of these systems to be supplied next year, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Wednesday.
"A very important support for Ukraine in the fight against missile attacks, against this terror the population is subjected to," she said. "We will send further systems to Ukraine, together with Britain and the US, multiple launch rocket systems - there'll be further deliveries to Ukraine in the next few weeks."
Mr Stoltenberg described the recent Russian attacks, which killed 19 people on Monday and wounded more than 100, as the “most serious escalation since February”, when the war began.
The gathering in Brussels is the first major Nato meeting since Moscow annexed several Ukrainian territories, announced a mobilisation and issued veiled nuclear threats
In addition to discussing air defences for Ukraine, the ministers will examine how to replenish their stocks of ammunition and weapons, Mr Stoltenberg said.
“I expect that ministers will accept to review our guidelines for stocks and also to engage more with industry,” he said.
“Ukraine is a big country. So we need to scale up to be able to defend even more cities and more territory against horrific Russian attacks against their civilians populations.”
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov will take part in a US-led Defence Contact Group on Wednesday afternoon. He will also be present at a follow-up working dinner, which will include Nato applicants Finland and Sweden.
The defence ministers will also address the resilience of Nato allies' critical infrastructure after the sabotage in late September of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
Mr Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that Nato had enhanced its presence in the Baltic and North seas to 30 ships, supported by maritime patrols, in addition to exchanging best practices on the protection of critical infrastructure.
“This is about protecting, for instance, undersea capabilities or undersea infrastructure pipelines cables but also energy grids, energy production, transportation, infrastructure,” he said.
The attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines have heightened fears of further sabotage among Baltic Sea states.
Finnish Defence Minister Antii Kaikkonen said on Wednesday that his country was “obviously looking forward to becoming a full member of Nato”.
In May, Finland and Sweden asked to join Nato. The accession protocols must be ratified by all allies. So far, almost all of Nato's 30 member states have agreed, with the exceptions of Hungary and Turkey.
Mr Kaikkonen said that he would hold bilateral meetings with defence ministers from Turkey and Hungary over the coming days. On Thursday, he will also meet his Swedish and US counterparts.
Analysts previously told The National that Turkey is using Sweden and Finland’s Nato applications as a way of pressuring the US into selling F-16 fighter jets to Ankara.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
Tamkeen's offering
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Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
