News of NATO soldiers in Ukraine, revelation of Russia's "huge" weapons, Moscow before the presidential election, the Haiti crisis, the Israel-Hamas conflict... are some of the prominent international events in the past 24 hours.
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| Riots in the capital Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 7. (Source: Reuters) |
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's outstanding international events:
Russia-Ukraine
* Information on the presence of NATO soldiers in Ukraine: On March 10, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that soldiers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries were present in Ukraine.
On this issue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian security agencies have long had information that NATO advisers are in Ukraine.
Neither side said which country's soldiers were. (Reuters)
* Donald Trump will not provide aid to Ukraine if elected , Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, after he met with the former US President in Florida on March 8.
Prime Minister Orban asserted: “He will not invest a single penny in the Ukraine-Russia war and therefore the conflict will end. It is clear that Ukraine cannot stand on its own two feet…”.
According to the leader, if the US and Europe do not provide money and weapons to Ukraine, this war will end. And if the US does not provide money, then Europe cannot finance this war on its own, and then the conflict will end.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that some European countries that support the continued conflict in Ukraine will change their stance if Mr. Trump returns to power in the US.
Hungary hopes that if Mr. Trump is elected, it will lead to the start of negotiations and an end to the conflict in Ukraine. (Reuters, Breitbart)
* French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed his third visit to Ukraine since February and is expected to travel to the Eastern European country in the coming weeks.
According to the announcement of the French President's Office, Mr. Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone call on March 10, agreeing to maintain close contact, especially regarding the French leader's visit.
Diplomatic sources say Macron is considering visiting Ukraine with other Western leaders instead of a bilateral visit, to show support for Kiev. (AFP)
* Ukraine is about to send prisoners to the army: Ukrainian Justice Minister Denis Maluska said that the government is actively working to draft a bill allowing the mobilization of prisoners and convicts to participate in hostilities.
Exclusions include those who committed crimes during military service or against national security, as well as those who violated military discipline.
Stressing that the issue received the support of members of Parliament without any objections, according to Mr. Maluska, the bill will be registered next week and the vote will take place in Parliament during the first and second readings.
The country is also considering the possibility of creating independent squads from convicted criminals. (Weukraine)
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Europe
* The heaviest bomb FAB-1500 gives the Russian army the upper hand , CNN quoted military personnel and experts on March 10.
Accordingly, the FAB-1500 - equipped with a controller to give it the ability to glide - appears to be actively used by the Russian military and they are "destroying Ukraine's defense system and changing the balance" on the front line.
According to CNN , this 1.5-ton bomb has nearly half of its weight in high-explosive material. Combined with a glide module, it is capable of attacking from a distance of up to 50-70 km, making it difficult for the fighter jet carrying it to be reached by many Ukrainian air defense systems.
“The use of such a powerful bomb puts a huge strain on the morale of our soldiers. Not all of our soldiers can stand it. Although they are more or less used to the FAB-500, the FAB-1500 is hell,” said a soldier from Ukraine’s 46th Air Mobility Brigade.
* Russia replaces Navy Commander: Reuters reported that on March 10, the private news agency Fontanka - based in St. Petersburg, citing anonymous sources, said that Russia has appointed Admiral Alexander Moiseev as acting Commander of the country's Navy.
Reuters has not been able to verify the above information, while on the Russian Defense Ministry website, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, Commander of the Russian Navy since May 2019, is still listed as holding this role.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on reports that Mr Yevmenov had been replaced.
* Ahead of the Russian election: Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) member Pavel Andreyev said that the Russian presidential election will be held at 295 polling stations in 144 countries, including 7 polling stations in Baikonur, a city that Moscow leases and manages in Kazakhstan.
Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said the diplomatic mission is "in close contact" with the US State Department to ensure security ahead of the election, which will take place from March 15-17.
Mr. Antonov expressed hope that the US side "will fulfill its obligation to ensure the security of diplomatic missions." (Reuters, Interfax)
* Hungary calls on European countries to develop their armies: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said European countries need to spend money to develop their armies and weapons because the US will not pay for security on behalf of Europeans.
“All European countries must have their own armies and weapons, we must be able to defend our countries or contribute to building up the common military potential within the alliance,” he advised, even though this is a “big burden.” (Sputnik)
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Asia-Pacific
* Russia prepares to open consulate general in Maldives: According to a post on the official legal information portal, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree to open the Russian consulate general in the capital Male of the Republic of Maldives on March 7.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry will determine the staff size of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Male within the scope of the staff size of the diplomatic missions of the Russian Foreign Ministry and approve the staffing plan," the decree said. (Interfax)
* China closed the second session of the 14th National People's Congress on March 11. Chinese parliamentarians passed resolutions on a series of reports, draft laws, the 2024 socio-economic development plan and the budget.
According to Reuters , in the closing session, the Chinese National People's Congress passed an amendment to the law, thereby giving the Communist Party more executive control over the State Council (government) of China.
* Indonesian Muslims celebrate Ramadan , the holiest holiday of the year for Muslims. Religious leaders in the archipelago have called on followers to celebrate the month with optimism and faith.
During the month of Ramadan, mosques, wards and wealthy families often organize charity meals to share with everyone. Meals are prepared in boxes for people to eat together after prayers, commonly known as “buka puasa”.
With faith and devotion, Indonesian Muslims welcome the holy month of Ramadan as an opportunity to improve themselves and strive for good things, from good thoughts to practicing sacred rituals. (TTXVN)
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Middle East-Africa
* Israel has released 56 Palestinians detained in the Gaza Strip , according to the Border Authority in the conflict-torn strip.
The group of Palestinians were released through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. The statement also confirmed that the bodies of the released people had signs of torture. (THX)
* Hezbollah attacks Israeli outpost in Golan Heights: On March 11, the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon announced that it had carried out an attack using four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on an Israeli air defense outpost across the border in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Hezbollah stressed that this rare attack hit the target to show support for Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
* Palestinian Authority demands Hamas hand over Gaza administration: Mr. Mahmoud Habbash, top adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said that the country's new technocratic government will be announced soon and will be under the direction of President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party only.
“Hamas must hand over power in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority,” Mahmoud Habbash said. (Times of Israel)
* Libyan leaders have agreed to form a new unity government to oversee long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections and provide essential services to Libyan citizens.
Libyan Presidential Council (PC) Chairman Mohamed Menfi, High State Council (HSC) Head Mohamed Takala and House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aguila Saleh made the decision in a joint statement in Cairo, after meeting with Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
The three leaders called on the United Nations Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the international community to support their proposals, saying they had agreed to set up a technical committee to “examine contentious points” related to the elections and hold a second round of meetings to implement the deal.
They also stressed Libya's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, rejecting any external interference in the political process in the North African country. (Reuters)
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America
* Haiti crisis: On March 11, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said that the European Union (EU) has evacuated all diplomatic staff from Haiti due to the serious deterioration of the security situation, when armed gangs control most of the country's capital.
The EU is also extremely concerned about developments in Haiti in recent days and will assess the situation and adjust the way its diplomatic staff operate as the security situation improves.
Meanwhile, leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have summoned special envoys from the US, France, Canada and the United Nations to a meeting in Jamaica on March 11 (local time) to discuss the violence raging in Haiti.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is attending the meeting, where he is expected to discuss a proposal by CARICOM and Haitian officials to accelerate Haiti's political transition, as well as deploy a multinational security mission to restore order.
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