G7 speaks out on Ukraine, US debt ceiling negotiations 'progress steadily'

The G7 Summit officially opens, Mr. Zelensky will visit Japan, new developments in Thai politics... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

The G7 Summit officially opened on May 19 in Hiroshima, Japan. (Source: European Commission)

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

G7 Summit

* G7 Summit issues statement on Ukraine : On May 19, the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Hiroshima, Japan issued a statement on Ukraine.

On the one hand, the leaders said they would continue to commit to providing financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support at Ukraine’s request for as long as needed. The G7 stressed that Ukraine would receive the necessary budget support for this year and early 2024.

On the other hand, they affirmed that they would impose more sanctions to make Russia and those who support the actions of the white birch country “pay a heavy price”. The G7 said it had achieved initial success in ensuring that Russia could not weaponize energy against the West.

The leaders stressed that there could be no peace without Russia's complete and unconditional withdrawal of troops and military equipment from Ukraine. (Reuters)

* Ukrainian President will attend the G7 Summit in person: On May 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had arrived in Saudi Arabia and would speak at the Arab League (AL) Summit, before going to Japan to attend the G7 Summit on May 21.

During his first visit to Saudi Arabia, President Zelensky will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and engage in other bilateral talks. According to the leader, his priorities are to discuss Ukraine’s peace formula to end the current conflict, protect the Muslim community in Ukraine and return “political prisoners” from Crimea.

In related news, CNN-News 18 (India) reported on the same day that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Mr. Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima (Japan), the first time since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out. The news of the meeting took place just hours after Prime Minister Modi left for Hiroshima to attend the G7 summit.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has not yet commented on the information. India was invited to attend the G7 summit as a guest country. (Reuters/AFP)

Russia-Ukraine

* Russian Defense Minister inspects command post in Zaporizhzhia direction : The announcement of the Russian Defense Ministry on May 19 said: "Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected the forward command post of one of the units of the Vostok military district in the Zaporizhzhia direction".

At a meeting with senior commanders, Mr. Shoigu praised the military for “identifying and destroying military equipment and enemy concentrations in the main direction.”

In addition, the Russian Defense Minister tasked the commanders and commanding officers of the groups to continue to actively conduct comprehensive reconnaissance, detect and prevent attack plans in advance. He paid special attention to “ensuring comprehensive support for the troops” and creating “conditions for safe deployment of personnel.” (AFP/Sputnik)

* Russia plans to rebuild Bakhmut : Speaking on the sidelines of the 14th International Economic Forum “Russia – Muslim World: Kazan Forum” on May 19, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said: “When we take control of this city, we will make a plan. I was there and looked at the extent of the destruction... It is quite possible to rebuild the city. We have made preliminary budget estimates and are drawing up an action plan. When the situation allows, we will rebuild it.” According to him, several companies are ready to rebuild the city. (Sputnik/TASS)

* Russia : NATO escalates Ukraine conflict : On May 18, speaking at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Russia's Permanent Representative to the organization Vasily Nebenzya said: "The West constantly says that it is not a party to the conflict and is only helping Ukraine defend itself. The reality is exactly the opposite. The West is carrying out a proxy conflict in Ukraine against Russia.

Since the last council meeting on Western arms deliveries to Ukraine in February, the amount has not decreased but has continued to increase. This proves the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s escalatory intentions. They are not interested in any peaceful solution to the conflict." (TASS)

* Ukraine repels Russian UAV and missile attacks : On May 19, speaking on Ukrainian television, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said: "We shot down 3 missiles launched from the Black Sea and 16 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Currently, shelling continues almost every day... However, not all targets were attacked." (Reuters)

* Ukrainian Ambassador predicts heavy losses in counter-offensive : In an interview with ITV (UK) on May 18, Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadim Pristaik emphasized: "I know that it could be a terrible summer and the price to pay will be very high." According to Mr. Pristaik, the West has put "too much pressure" on Kiev and created "too many expectations" about the spring campaign.

Asked why Ukraine maintains a policy of not disclosing the number of casualties in the conflict, Ambassador Pristaiko explained: “Internally, we know how many people have been killed and missing. We know how difficult it is to fight a country 16 times larger than us. But we are determined to do it and we will not tell the Russians how painful it is – they know it is painful and we know it too.”

Regarding the US decision not to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Ambassador Prystaiko said that the White House could change its plans, because the current geopolitical picture may not be suitable. He also warned of the possibility of support for Ukraine weakening after the 2024 US presidential election: “A weakness of democracy is cyclicality. We have to take this cycle into account in politics. There will be times when Ukraine will not receive great support from its allies. That is why Kiev is putting pressure on arms supplies right now.” (RT)

* United Nations: 23,000 civilians killed and injured in Ukraine conflict : On May 19, the UN Deputy High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Adedeji Ebo said: “As of February 24, 2022, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights recorded 23,821 civilian casualties in Ukraine: 8,836 killed and 14,985 injured, with the actual number likely to be much higher. Most civilian deaths and injuries were caused by explosive weapons with a wide area of ​​effect, including heavy artillery, tanks, multiple rocket launchers, missiles and air strikes.” (TASS)

Southeast Asia

* Thailand: The Forward Party states conditions for forming a coalition : On May 19, Sirikanya Tansakun, a member of the Forward Party (MFP) of Thailand, said: "If the parties agree with us on Article 112 (on amending the lese majeste law), we are willing to include this in the agreement, but it is not a condition for joining the coalition government."

The statement came as the MFP seeks to win support from other parties to form a government on May 22 with eight other parties.

The MFP, led by Pita Limjaroenrat, won a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament in this week's election. The party has been supported by young people thanks to policies such as abolishing business monopolies and amending the strict lese majeste law, stipulated in Article 112 of the Criminal Code. (Reuters)

Northeast Asia

* Dutch, Congolese foreign ministers visit China : On May 19, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra will visit China from May 23-24. Previously, speaking at the parliament on May 11, Mr. Hoekstra said he would discuss with his counterpart Qin Gang "both easy and difficult topics."

In addition, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also said that the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo Christophe Lutundula will visit the country from May 21-24. (Reuters)

* IAEA Director General to visit China soon : On May 19, in an interview with Xinhua News Agency , Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said on May 19 that he will visit China at the end of this month, affirming that this is a "highly anticipated" activity.

“China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a global power, has a say in many things, and the IAEA also plays a role,” the official said. “When we talk about global non-proliferation issues, my discussions with Beijing are simply indispensable…” During his visit, he may also visit some of China’s key nuclear facilities.

If realized, this will be the official's first visit to China since he took over as IAEA Director General in 2019. (Sputnik)

* Korea-China discuss economic cooperation : On May 19, South Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung Ho met with Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming to discuss the economy and other bilateral issues. At the meeting, the host representative hoped that the two sides could continue economic cooperation based on mutual respect and interests. He also asked China to support the preparations for the bilateral economic ministers' meeting, scheduled to take place in Seoul this year.

Previously, the most recent meeting between Mr. Choo Kyung Ho and his Chinese counterpart He Lap Phong took place in August 2022. (Reuters/Yonhap)

Central Asia

* China promotes relations with Central Asia: On May 19, at a press conference after the bilateral summit in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, President Xi Jinping affirmed that with collective efforts, China-Central Asia relations will contribute positive and strong energy to regional peace and stability.

President Xi Jinping stressed that the six countries jointly signed the Xi'an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit, endorsed the outcomes of the summit, and outlined a blueprint for the future development of China-Central Asia relations. According to the Chinese leader, the parties are determined to work together to overcome challenges and forge a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

He affirmed that the two sides will firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, such as sovereignty, independence, security and territorial integrity. At the same time, he stressed that Central Asian countries fully recognize the importance of China's modernization path to the development of the world, and reiterated their firm commitment to the one-China principle.

President Xi Jinping also reaffirmed that all parties will resolutely fight against all forms of terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, and join hands to build a Central Asia free of conflict and with lasting peace.

Mr. Xi and the leaders of the five Central Asian countries also officially announced the establishment of the China-Central Asia Summit Mechanism. (Xinhua)

* Russia strives to mend Armenia-Azerbaijan relations : On May 19, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his counterparts from Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, including Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov in Moscow on mending relations between Baku and Yerevan.

Armenian-Azerbaijani representatives will meet separately to discuss opportunities for reaching a peace agreement.

Earlier, on May 14, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels (Belgium) with the participation of European Council President Charles Michel. Both sides positively assessed the results of the negotiations, mainly the mutual recognition of the territorial integrity of the two countries within the internationally recognized borders. (TASS)

Europe

* UK continues to announce more sanctions against Russia : On May 19, London announced a series of new sanctions against Moscow, including companies involved in “grain theft” in Ukraine and 9 organizations involved in Russian energy transportation. The new sanctions list includes 86 individuals and entities whose assets are frozen due to their connection to illicit profits.

The British Foreign Office also confirmed that Russian foreign assets will remain subject to confiscation until Russia agrees to pay compensation for damage caused in Ukraine. (Reuters)

* Moldova's separatist region leader denies reports of imminent Ukrainian attack: "We do not see the buildup of forces and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units at a level that would be necessary, let's say, for a direct attack. Of course, any provocations, such as sabotage or terrorist acts, cannot be ruled out," the head of Moldova's separatist region of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, said on May 19. He noted that the border area with Ukraine "is monitored by the border service and other law enforcement agencies."

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine had stepped up preparations for an attack on the territory of Transnistria, allegedly in response to a similar action by Russian forces there. The ministry also reported that Kiev had signs of concentrating forces and equipment near the Transnistrian border. (TASS)

America

* Negotiations on the US debt ceiling "progressing steadily" : On May 19, a White House official said that although Mr. Biden is currently attending the G7 Summit in Japan, he "still requested and received updates this morning from the negotiating team". This person also affirmed that "steady progress is taking place", and said that the US President "has directed the negotiating team to continue to push for a bipartisan agreement". (AFP/Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* Tensions over Israel's flag parade: On May 18, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Palestinians in the Gaza Strip marched violently to protest the Jewish State's flag parade in Jerusalem. Many Arabs threw explosives at the security fence.

The IDF then fired live ammunition, tear gas and other means to suppress these riots, injuring several Palestinians.

In response, the Palestinian Authority (PA) strongly criticized Israel's activities, calling them a "desperate attempt" to demonstrate Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem.

PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shttayeh said the “provocative and ridiculous” parade was part of Israel’s efforts to “impose falsehoods on Jerusalem.” The Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of trying to change Jerusalem’s demographic composition, legal status and historical status.

Israel's flag parade was held to mark Jerusalem Day, the anniversary of the Jewish state's capture of Jerusalem after the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel has deployed heavy security to prevent violence after previous flag parades were marked by attacks on Palestinians and chants of "death to the Arabs." (Reuters/TTXVN)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-195-g7-len-tieng-ve-ukraine-dam-phan-tran-no-cong-my-tien-trien-on-dinh-227807.html