EU will not send troops to Ukraine, North Korean leader wishes Chinese President a happy birthday

Russia will hold elections in the annexed territory, more people will run for the US presidency, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister visits Iran... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination. (Source: Getty Images)

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

Russia-Ukraine

* Russia considers holding elections in annexed regions of Ukraine : On June 15, TASS (Russia) quoted the head of the Russian election commission as saying that the country's Defense Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB) are considering the possibility of holding mayoral elections in September in regions of Ukraine that Moscow annexed last year.

Currently, all four regions, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, have been hot spots in clashes between the two sides in recent days. (Reuters)

* Russia pessimistic about prospects for Black Sea grain deal : Speaking on June 15, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Work is going on, but to be honest, we do not see any particularly positive prospects. Everything that was previously agreed upon regarding us has not been implemented." The official also warned that the current situation cannot last forever.

On the same day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the country intends to return to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to request an international investigation into the explosions targeting the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022. Previously, Russia accused Ukraine and the West of being behind these explosions, but the above parties have denied it. (Reuters)

* EU rules out the possibility of deploying NATO troops in Ukraine : On June 14, speaking on French television, Vice Admiral Herve Blejean - Chief of Staff of the European Union (EU) Military Staff stated: "Deploying ground troops to Ukraine means becoming a party to the conflict with Russia. No one wants to participate in that confrontation, neither the EU nor the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). We do not want to confront Russia." According to Mr. Blejean, Ukraine's counter-offensive campaign will "not be the end, regardless of the outcome."

Earlier, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen suggested that individual member states of the alliance, such as Poland and the Baltic states, could decide to deploy troops to Ukraine. (RT)

* NATO : Aid to Ukraine is making a difference: On June 15, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated: "The support NATO allies have given to Ukraine over many, many months is really making a difference on the battlefield."

Speaking at the NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels, he said ministers and defense industry partners would discuss ways to further boost production. At the same time, the senior NATO official stressed that the common standard for member states to spend 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense budgets “is not a ceiling, but only a minimum level to invest in ensuring common security.” (Reuters)

* The US urges allies to provide more weapons to Ukraine : On June 15, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin delivered an opening speech at the US-led NATO Contact Group defense ministers meeting in Brussels (Belgium). He said the Contact Group has provided Patriot, IRIS-T and NASAMS air defense systems to protect Ukraine from Russian missile attacks.

However, the US Defense Secretary stressed that Ukraine needs more: “I urge the members of the Contact Group to continue to increase the provision of air defense assets and munitions to Ukraine that (Kiev) desperately needs to protect its citizens. We will also continue to adjust our support to meet changing circumstances on the ground and the changing needs of Ukrainian forces.”

This is the 13th meeting of the Contact Group that Washington set up last year to coordinate Western aid to the Kiev government. (Reuters)

* European countries step up arms supplies to Ukraine : On June 15, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense announced that Oslo and Copenhagen had agreed to provide an additional 9,000 artillery shells to Kiev. The statement said that Norway would provide warheads, while Denmark would donate detonators and launchers.

On the same day, NTV (Germany) reported that the Dutch Ministry of Defense will purchase four VERA-EG radar systems worth 150 million euros to equip Ukraine's air defense.

Amsterdam said the VERA-EG radar system can be used to detect, locate, track and identify air, ground and sea targets. The Dutch Ministry of Defense said that with the purchase, Amsterdam is “contributing to Ukraine’s integrated air defense system.” (NTV/Reuters)

Southeast Asia

* Cambodia continues to prepare for the general election : On the morning of June 15, the National Election Committee of Cambodia (NEC) announced and introduced the ballot printing process for the 7th National Assembly election in 2023. Mr. Hang Puthea, Commissioner and Spokesperson of the NEC, said that the agency has printed more than 13 million ballots to prepare for the 7th National Assembly election. Of which, more than 11 million ballots will be used directly at polling stations and more than 1 million spare ballots will be kept at election agencies in the capital and provinces.

The ceremony to inspect and introduce the ballot printing process for the 7th National Assembly election on the morning of June 15 was attended by representatives of political parties, non-governmental organizations and the press. The 7th National Assembly election is expected to be held on Sunday, July 23, 2023, with 17 political parties participating in the election against the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). (VNA)

* Philippines: Attack on police vehicle causes many casualties : On June 15, Philippine police confirmed that 2 police officers were killed and 4 others were injured when an armed group ambushed a police vehicle in the South of the country.

Brigadier General Allan Nobleza, chief of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said the incident occurred at 8:30 p.m. local time on June 14 in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur province, as the police team was returning to the police station after a routine patrol. According to Nobleza, the ambush was just meters away from the police headquarters.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Police are investigating the motive. (Xinhua)

Northeast Asia

* Chinese Premier to visit Germany, France : On June 15, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Germany and France from June 18-23. According to the announcement, Premier Li Qiang will attend the 7th round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultations, as well as the Summit on a Global Financial Compact in France. (Reuters)

* Japan sharply increases imports of Russian grain : On June 15, the country's Ministry of Finance said that in May, grain imports from the birch country increased by 2,098.7% compared to the same period in 2022. Also in May, Japan reduced imports of vegetables (82%), coal (76.3%), medical goods (99.7%), steel (42.5%), and non-ferrous metals (85.5%) from Russia, while imports of fish and seafood increased by 14.6%. Imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia to Japan increased by 9.1%.

According to TASS (Russia), the share of Russian LNG in Japan's total imports of this fuel increased to 13.22% compared to the monthly average of about 9%. At the same time, bilateral trade turnover in May decreased by 34.5% to 130.75 billion yen (about 931 million USD). Exports to Russia increased by 34.8% to 35.57 billion yen (about 253 million USD), while imports decreased by 46.5% to 95.19 billion yen (about 678 million USD). (TTXVN)

* South Korea and Japan: North Korea has just launched two short-range ballistic missiles : On June 15, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said they detected these launches from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at around 7:25 p.m. and 7:37 p.m. (local time). Seoul is currently analyzing the situation.

Meanwhile, Tokyo said both missiles launched by Pyongyang landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The country's Defense Ministry said one North Korean missile flew at an altitude of 50 km and had a range of 850 km, while the other also reached an altitude of 50 km and had a range of 900 km.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has condemned the launch as a serious violation of UN resolutions. However, he said there have been no reports of damage to aircraft or ships as a result of the activity.

Earlier in the day, a spokesman for the North Korean Defense Ministry criticized the joint US-South Korea military exercises as “provocative and irresponsible” and warned of a “due response.” (Kyodo/Reuters/Yonhap)

* North Korean leader congratulates Chinese President on his birthday : On June 15, KCNA (North Korea) reported that Mr. Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory letter to the Chinese leader on his 70th birthday. In the letter, he emphasized that Beijing has “built a moderately prosperous society in all respects” and “China’s national strength and international status have been significantly enhanced” under President Xi Jinping.

“The letter expressed the belief that China’s struggle for prosperity will surely be victorious under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, with the party and the Chinese people rallying around the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core,” KCNA said. (KCNA /Reuters)

Europe

* NATO Secretary General mentions possibility of successor : On June 15, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said alliance members will decide whether he will continue to hold the above position or not.

Ahead of a leaders' summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius next July, the 31 NATO countries are said to be discussing finding a successor to replace him as secretary general of the alliance.

Previously, Mr. Stoltenberg - 64 years old, who has headed NATO since 2014, extended his term by one year to October 2023 after Russia started the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022. This official affirmed that he did not "want to seek any extension, but the decision is up to NATO members.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has emerged as a leading candidate to succeed NATO Secretary General, but there is no clear consensus on a choice among NATO members, with diplomats discussing the possibility of asking Stoltenberg to stay on. (AFP)

* Slovakian government fails to pass confidence vote : On June 15, Prime Minister Ludovit Odor's government failed in the confidence vote in the National Assembly. Accordingly, the Slovakian government received only 34 votes out of 136 participating parliamentarians. Thus, according to the country's Constitution, President Zuzana Caputova will dissolve the cabinet and hand over the task to a caretaker government with limited powers.

The technocratic government of Prime Minister Odor took office in May and is expected to govern the country until early parliamentary elections in September. On May 7, caretaker Prime Minister Eduard Heger submitted his resignation after ministers resigned, weakening his cabinet. (VNA)

America

* 2024 US Presidential Election: Miami Mayor Runs for Election: On June 14, the Mayor of Miami, the capital of Florida, Mr. Francis Suarez filed his registration with the federal election agency. Thereby, he officially entered the race for the Republican nomination to run for US President in 2024.

Mr. Francis Suarez, born in 1977, a Cuban-American, will become the only Latino candidate among the Republican candidates.

Currently, among the numerous candidates of this party, former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are the most prominent. However, despite the number of Republican candidates currently in the double digits, public opinion assesses this as a two-horse race between Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis. (TTXVN)

Middle East-Africa

* Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister visits Iran : On June 15, Tasnim (Iran) reported that Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan will visit Tehran two days later.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are currently pushing forward with the process of normalizing relations. Previously, in 2016, the two countries severed bilateral diplomatic relations after Iranian protesters attacked the headquarters of Saudi Arabia's diplomatic missions, in protest of Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric. (Reuters)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-156-eu-se-khong-dua-quan-toi-ukraine-nha-lanh-dao-trieu-tien-chuc-mung-sinh-nhat-chu-tich-trung-quoc-231111.html