bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
        published
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
        published
      }
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        relatedNewsletters {
          ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
          id
        }
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
  ... on Video {
    youtubeId
  }
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on SectionUnion {
  __isSectionUnion: __typename
  ... on Section {
    name
  }
  ... on VideoSection {
    name
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


types

sectionsV2

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

Khushboo Razdan

When leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization gather in Washington next week to commemorate the enduring unity between Europe and North America, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump will be the names dominating the discussions.
A senior official in US President Joe Biden’s administration said on Friday that the negotiations on the final communique of the summit were continuing, but the text in the draft on China was “very solid”.
Reiterating evidence of Beijing’s role in reconstitution of Moscow’s defence industry, he added that China was not only “fuelling” the war in Ukraine but also “creating a long-term challenge for European security that obviously our allies recognise”.
“And so, we will have, I think, strong language on this,” he said, confirming that the issue will be taken up by Nato with its other partners from Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
The three-day gathering, which begins on Tuesday, will take place as the US and Europe seek new friends, navigate competition with new adversaries, and brace for significant domestic political transitions with potentially lasting implications for the world’s oldest surviving defence pact.
In an op-ed published in Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Putin had become “increasingly aligned with other authoritarian powers, including China, that wish to see the United States fail, Europe fracture and Nato falter”.

Last month, he said: “Presidents Putin and Xi are adamantly opposed to Nato because they know that in Nato, the United States has something they don’t have – 31 friends and allies.”
And in what sounded like a response to Trump’s remarks about encouraging the Russians to do “whatever the hell they want” to any Nato member country, Stoltenberg reminded Washington that the 75-year-old alliance had helped “advance US interests, multiply US power and keep Americans safe”.
Nato was born on April 4, 1949, from the ashes of World War II. The goal of its 12 founding countries, including the US, was to ensure their “collective defence” in an “unpredictable” world, according to Nato’s website.
The bloc – which expanded to 32 nations with the addition of Sweden and Finland after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – now faces “an even more dangerous world”, Stoltenberg said.
Member countries voluntarily contribute troops and funding to the alliance, with each nation determining its defence spending. The alliance does not possess its own army; instead, its military protections are guaranteed by its member countries.
In 2014, Nato leaders pledged to allocate at least 2 per cent of their countries’ gross domestic product to defence spending.
In 2023, only 11 countries met that threshold. According to Stoltenberg, more than 20 members have already met or are close to meeting the alliance’s spending target this year.


Analysts said they expected more rhetoric than action at the summit, pointing to concerns including US President Joe Biden’s health after a poor debate performance against Nato detractor and election rival Trump; French President Emmanuel Macron’s electoral setbacks against the far-right; Hungarian President Viktor Orban’s recent talks with Putin; disagreements over more aid for Ukraine and its path to membership; war weariness among the European public; and a challenging economic environment on the continent.
Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Engagement Programme at Defence Priorities, a think tank in Washington, said he didn’t “really expect a lot of new things” given the “very difficult situation” for Nato countries facing “a variety of interlocking crises”.
“All the complications of domestic politics, whether in Britain or France or the United States, the Netherlands; Viktor Orban showing up in Kyiv, making a peace overture,” Goldstein said.
In May, France and Germany allowed Ukraine to use their weapons against targets inside Russia. Macron has also suggested the possibility of French troops in Ukraine. Under his leadership, Paris has been one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters.
But the French far-right, leading in parliamentary elections, has vowed to cut aid to Ukraine. Until earlier this year, France’s National Rally Party called for deepening diplomatic ties with Russia.
Ahead of the summit, Nato allies have failed to commit to precise figure for aid to Ukraine in future years. Undercutting Stoltenberg’s idea of a multi-year funding proposal with US$100 billion, the bloc will announce a US$43 billion package for Kyiv in 2025.

There’s still no consensus on when and how to include Ukraine as a Nato member. The senior Biden administration official said on Friday that while the allies were still debating the language in the final declaration, they would be announcing “a bridge” toward making Ukraine’s eventual membership “irreversible”.
But an open letter on Wednesday, 60 foreign policy experts warned against advancing Ukraine’s membership.
“If Ukraine were to join Nato, Russia would have reason to doubt the credibility of Nato’s security guarantee – and would gain an opportunity to test and potentially rupture the alliance,” it said, adding that the “result could be a direct Nato-Russia war or the unravelling of Nato itself”.
Goldstein of Defence Priorities noted that most countries that have reached the 2 per cent threshold were geographically close to Russia – such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – or “usual suspects” like Poland but that many others were “very reluctant”.
In 2023, the biggest Nato defence spender was Poland, followed by the US, with stronger powers like Germany, France and Italy far behind.
Biden has been a staunch supporter of the alliance, but as he prepares to host the summit, his political future hangs in balance. There have been loud calls, including from within his own party, for him to withdraw from the presidential race after his dismal debate performance.

A latest New York Times/Siena College poll showed Biden, who’s more than six years older than Nato, trailing by six percentage points – 49 per cent to 43 per cent – against Trump, who as president accused allies of not “paying their bills” and threatened to withdraw from the bloc.
According to US media reports, Trump’s aides have discussed a revamp of Nato that would diminish the US’s role as Europe’s primary security guarantor.
Another proposal involves a potential agreement on Ukraine, where Nato would pledge to abstain from further eastward expansion while permitting Moscow to maintain its current territorial acquisitions.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that he would halt American military aid to Ukraine, and claimed that he could end the war in three days if re-elected.
Goldstein called the situation “hugely destablising” for Nato, saying the “timing could not be worse for Nato and for the Biden administration”.
“Even if Biden was in perfect health, the alliance would still be in hot water. But in this circumstance, it’s almost the worst case scenario … where the alliance is literally rudderless, and all eyes are on Trump and what he might do,” he said.
The senior Biden administration official said he was not concerned about Trump’s words but added: “We’re going to continue to press for equitable burden sharing and for credible plans from all allies.”
At a time when Europe could be facing cuts in US defence support, Washington has identified Beijing as its No 1 threat, but for Brussels Russia remains the biggest security challenge.
Camille Grand of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank in Berlin, said that regardless of who won the US presidential election, it was time for Europeans to “accept more responsibilities for the defence of Europe” and approach it “much more strategically”.

He emphasised the need for a comprehensive strategy spanning the next decade, focusing on immediate actions to bolster Ukraine and enhance European readiness and combat capabilities, which have traditionally relied heavily on US support.
An analysis of the summit by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, observed that Nato allies were increasingly recognising the importance of Asia-Pacific for their own security.
“Forty per cent of Europe’s trade passes through an increasingly contested South China Sea, while Russia’s war in Ukraine has been propped up by imports of North Korean munitions and Chinese dual-use goods,” it said.
The four Indo-Pacific partners in the alliance – Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea – have become a regular presence at high-level Nato summits since 2022.
Tokyo, along with the US and other Nato countries, has signed a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. South Korea is reportedly considering the same.
“Increasing Russia-North Korea military cooperation, and Russia’s attempt to coerce South Korea into ceasing support for Ukraine, may bring Seoul closer to Brussels too,” the report said.
China and Russia have both warned against Nato’s eastward expansion.
The Biden administration official on Friday clarified that Nato remained focused on the Euro-Atlantic area, and “that’s where its capabilities are being deployed. And so not in the Indo Pacific”.
He added that discussions with Indo-Pacific partners would be on issues related to cyber, disinformation and technology in terms of deterrence and defence.


Threats from Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping will be a focus of upcoming Nato summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands prior to their talks in Beijing in May. Photo: Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Jens Stoltenberg of Norway is Nato’s secretary general. Photo: EPA-EFE

French President Emmanuel Macron has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/TNS

US President Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Nato, but his political future is in doubt. Photo: EPA-EFE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands in front of a Patriot air defence missile system at a military training area in Germany on June 11. Photo: dpa

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The defence alliance, which is marking its 75th anniversary, will address the war in Ukraine and China’s role in bolstering Moscow, says senior US official


The defence alliance, which is marking its 75th anniversary, will address the war in Ukraine and China’s role in bolstering Moscow, says senior US official.


Threats from Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping will be a focus of upcoming Nato summit

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}The defence alliance, which is marking its 75th anniversary, will address the war in Ukraine and China’s role in bolstering Moscow, says senior US official

The defence alliance, which is marking its 75th anniversary, will address the war in Ukraine and China’s role in bolstering Moscow, says senior US official