Russia-Ukraine border heats up, US debt ceiling bill 'passes the test'

China promotes resolution of Russia-Ukraine conflict, North Korea opposes UN and NATO statements... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

The Shangri-La Dialogue officially opened on June 2 in Singapore.

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Russia-Ukraine

* Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking multiple locations near the border: On June 2, the acting mayor of the Smolensk region, western Russia, said that last night, two long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked fuel and energy infrastructure in the two towns of Divasy and Peresna. However, there was no information about casualties, explosions or forces carrying out the attack. The attacked area is located about 270km from the Ukrainian border.

On the same day, writing on Telegram , Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov also said that two people were killed and two others were injured when Ukrainian forces shelled a road in the town of Maslova Pristan, near the border between the two countries. He said: "The shell fragments hit passing cars. Two women driving one of the cars were killed."

Also on June 2, the governor of Russia's Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, confirmed that four houses had been damaged after Ukrainian forces shelled a town near the border. However, he also said the attack caused no casualties.

Russian military statistics on June 2 showed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) on June 1 continuously shelled the border city of Shebekino in Belgorod province, with about 750 shells of various types. Most of the attacks were carried out from the town of Volchansk in Ukraine's Kharkov province. (AFP/Reuters)

* Ukraine inspects bomb shelters nationwide : On June 2, speaking at a high-level security meeting of the Ukrainian Government, President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered an inspection of the entire bomb shelter system nationwide. The decision was made after three people were killed in the capital Kiev because they could not reach shelters after a Russian airstrike.

On the same day, Ukrainian forces in the capital Kiev said: “According to preliminary information, more than 30 air targets were detected and destroyed by air defense forces in the airspace around Kiev.” The explosions injured two people, including a child. Officials also said that debris fell and damaged five houses. (AFP/Reuters)

* China will push for Russia- Ukraine peace talks : Speaking at a press conference on June 2, Li Hui, the Chinese government's special envoy for Eurasian affairs, said that his trip to Europe last month may not yield any immediate results. The official also noted: "We feel that there is still a big gap between the views of both sides."

However, Mr. Li Hui also said that Beijing is ready to consider sending another delegation to Europe to negotiate a solution to the Ukraine crisis. (Sputnik)

* US Secretary of State urges search for “lasting peace” for Ukraine : Speaking in Finland on June 2, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized: “We will support efforts – whether by Brazil, China or any other country – if they help find a path to a just and lasting peace (for Ukraine)”. According to him, Washington also encourages initiatives by other countries to end the conflict, as long as they respect the UN Charter, the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.

Describing the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a “strategic failure” for Moscow, a US diplomat said Washington would continue to provide military aid to Kiev, helping the country build a modern and combat-ready “army of the future.” (Reuters)

* Armenia is not Russia's ally in the conflict in Ukraine : On June 2, answering CNN Prima News (Czech), Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized: "You say that we are Russia's ally. Of course, this has never been declared loudly, but I think it can be seen. In the conflict in Ukraine, we are not Russia's ally."

According to Prime Minister Pashinyan, Armenia is concerned about this conflict because it directly affects all of Yerevan's relations: "The West sees us as Russia's allies, they say more than that. In Russia, they see that we are not their allies in this conflict. So in this situation, we are no one's ally and we are vulnerable." The Armenian leader also said that Yerevan has too many worries at the moment and should not be drawn into solving other people's problems. (CNN/Reuters)

* Swiss House of Representatives does not support arms transfers to Ukraine : On June 1, the National Council (i.e. the Lower House) in Bern voted 98-75 to oppose the proposal to transfer arms to Ukraine in parliament. Mr. Jean-Luc Addor - representative of the Swiss People's Party said that "accepting the initiative is also synonymous with commitment to that issue. This violates the policy of neutrality".

Switzerland’s neutrality has long been a matter of debate, and it has gained even more attention since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out. While the European country – which is not a member of the European Union – has imposed sanctions on Russia, Bern has shown that it is not ready to change its neutrality policy. Despite pressure from Ukraine and its allies, Switzerland has refused to allow countries that possess Swiss-made weapons to re-export them to Ukraine.

Switzerland also rejected offers to buy back the weapons from countries including Germany, Spain and Denmark, saying it would ban any exports if the recipient country was involved in an international armed conflict. (Reuters)

* Hungary proposes to prevent Ukraine from counterattacking Russia: On June 2, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned: "Conducting large-scale strategic attacks will lead to a lot of bloodshed." He predicted that the attackers' losses could be three times higher than the defenders' losses, and called on the EU to do everything possible to help Russia and Ukraine reach a ceasefire and peace talks before the counterattack. He also pledged that the current Hungarian government would never oppose Russia. (VNA)

US-China

* China worries about US surveillance of foreign diplomats in Russia : On June 2, the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the risk of US intelligence monitoring foreign diplomats in Russia via iPhones. The statement said: "We have paid attention to the relevant information. We express our concern about this issue." According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the US has been using technology to serve espionage activities around the world for a long time. (Sputnik)

Russia-US

* Russia reacts to US stance on New START: On June 1, writing on Telegram , the Russian Embassy in Washington stated: “We have noted the information about New START published by the US State Department on June 1 accusing Russia of violating the Treaty. Once again, we emphasize that the US statements have nothing to do with the real cause of the crisis surrounding the agreement…”

“We have repeatedly explained in public forums and through diplomatic channels the reasons for Russia’s suspension of participation in New START. We have fully explained the legal basis for our decision, which is fully consistent with the Vienna Convention. The US’s stubborn refusal to recognize the supremacy of international law is quite obvious,” the Russian Embassy in the United States said.

Previously, the US State Department announced that it would stop providing information to Russia about strategic weapons under the New START treaty from June 1. (TASS)

Southeast Asia

* The 20th Shangri-La Dialogue opens : On June 2, the Shangri-La Dialogue officially opened. This annual event, scheduled to last until June 4, attracts senior military officials, diplomats, arms manufacturers and security analysts from around the world.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to deliver a keynote speech later that evening. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu will also speak shortly afterwards. (Reuters)

South Asia

* India urges China to allow journalists to continue working : The country's foreign ministry said on June 2 that it hoped Beijing would allow Indian journalists to continue working in China. Earlier this year, the two neighbors were embroiled in a bitter dispute over visas for journalists from both sides. (Reuters)

Northeast Asia

* North Korea criticizes UN and NATO leaders for “interfering in internal affairs” : On June 2, KCNA (North Korea) published a statement by Jo Chol Su, Director General of the International Organization Department of the North Korean Foreign Ministry, saying that the UN Secretary-General’s remarks on Pyongyang’s satellite launch violated the “sovereign rights” of a member state. He said this was an “unfair” move and interference in internal affairs. The official stated that North Korea will continue to exercise its sovereign rights, including launching military reconnaissance satellites, to prove that the UN does not belong to the US.

In a separate statement carried by KCNA , international affairs analyst Jong Kyong Chol said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's "provocative" remarks about the satellite launch were interference in internal affairs.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg criticized North Korea's satellite launch as a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions because it used ballistic missile technology. (Yonhap)

Europe

* Russia will not allow “bad guys” to destabilize : President Vladimir Putin said on June 2 that “bad guys” were increasingly trying to destabilize Russia and that this trend needed to be stopped. Speaking at a meeting of the Russian Security Council, he stressed: “We must do everything possible to ensure that they will not be allowed to carry out these actions under any circumstances.” (Reuters)

* Russia temporarily stops pumping gas through the Turkish Stream pipeline : On June 2, Gazprom (Russia) announced that it would stop pumping gas on both branches of the Turkish Stream pipeline for one week. According to the press office of this gas corporation, the decision to temporarily stop supplying gas is related to the annual pipeline maintenance activities taking place from June 5-12.

Turkish Stream is a gas export pipeline that passes through the Black Sea. Its design capacity is 31.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Through the system, gas is supplied to Türkiye and the countries of Southern and Southeastern Europe. Stopping gas transit through Türkiye will reduce the amount of gas supplied to EU member states by at least two times.

Earlier, the Russian Business newspaper reported that Moscow may face difficulties in repairing gas pipelines due to Western sanctions prohibiting the export, re-export, sale or direct or indirect supply of gas turbines from the US. This measure affects a large number of important components used on Russia's gas export pipelines since the Soviet era. (VNA)

* Polish President Proposes Changes to Law on Russian Influence : On June 2, Andrzej Duda said he would propose amendments to the newly passed law on excessive Russian influence, responding to criticism that the legal document could lead to a ban on opposition politicians from public office.

Earlier, on May 29, President Duda announced that he would sign a bill to create a commission responsible for investigating whether the opposition Civic Platform (PO) party had made Warsaw overly influenced by Moscow and thus dependent on Russian fuel during its time in power. (Reuters)

* NATO Secretary General plans to visit Turkey : On June 2, Hurriyet (Turkey) quoted informed sources as saying that Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will arrive in Ankara on June 3 to attend the inauguration ceremony of host President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A day earlier, the NATO Secretary General also mentioned that he would soon visit Turkey to discuss Sweden's application to join the alliance.

On the same day, Turkey's Supreme Election Council announced the final results of the presidential election. Accordingly, Mr. Erdogan won the second round with 52.18% of the vote, while his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 47.82%. Following Mr. Erdogan's inauguration, Turkey is expected to increase its diplomatic activities, which had been suspended during the pre-election period. (Hurriyet)

America

* US Senate passes debt ceiling bill : On the evening of June 1 (local time), with 63 votes in favor and 36 votes against, the US Senate passed a bipartisan bill to suspend the debt ceiling policy, thereby avoiding the first debt default disaster in US history. The bill will now be sent to President Joe Biden for signature as there are only a few days left until June 5, the deadline in the US Treasury's warning for the parties to reach an agreement to raise the debt ceiling by 31.4 trillion USD before the federal budget runs out.

The day before, the US House of Representatives also passed the bill with 314 votes in favor and 117 votes against. President Joe Biden urged the Senate to quickly pass the bill so he can sign it into law soon. (VNA)

Middle East-Africa

* Russian-Saudi Foreign Ministers Discuss: On June 1, on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in South Africa, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov held talks. The two sides reviewed aspects and measures to strengthen and develop bilateral and multilateral friendship and cooperation in many areas of mutual interest.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan reiterated Riyadh’s support for all regional and international efforts aimed at a lasting political solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The two sides also discussed key issues raised at the ongoing summit themed “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism.” (Reuters)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-26-bien-gioi-nga-ukraine-them-nong-du-luat-nang-tran-no-cong-o-my-qua-ai-229484.html