Grain warehouse in Odessa attacked, Pheu Thai has chance to form government

The amount of aid weapons stolen in Ukraine, Türkiye urging Sweden to promote NATO membership according to the agreement... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

China is closely watching the Talisman Sabre multilateral exercise hosted by Australia. (Source: Australian Department of Defense)

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

* Russia destroys Ukraine's command and signal center: At a press conference on July 20, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenko said: "In the area near Avdiikva and Torskoye in the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic (DPR), the signal center of the 110th mechanized brigade and the command post of the 63rd mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) were destroyed."

The official said that in the past days, the Russian Armed Forces (VS RF) have “neutralized” Ukrainian attacks in the direction of Kupyansk. Accordingly, in the past 24 hours, Ukraine has lost 110 people, 1 infantry fighting vehicle, 1 Msta-B howitzer and 1 D-20 howitzer.

According to Major General Igor Konashenko, over the past day, VS RF continued to repel several attacks in Krasny Liman, as well as 16 other attacks in the Donetsk region, causing the VSU to suffer hundreds of casualties and many important weapons aided by the West. (TASS)

* Russia : Ukraine "terrorist attack" in the Black Sea : On July 21, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized Ukraine for endangering the navigation of civilian ships in the Black Sea, and accused Kiev of carrying out dangerous actions in the region.

“Unpredictable actions and, moreover, Kiev’s involvement in dangerous actions certainly risk posing a threat to the region,” he said.

On whether Russian tankers and other cargo from the country's Black Sea port system are at risk, and whether Moscow might reroute its ships in the Black Sea, the Kremlin said the decision would be made by the relevant Russian government agencies. "We are analyzing the situation, and it is the responsibility of the relevant agencies to make appropriate recommendations to reduce the risks," Peskov said. (Reuters)

* Ukraine: Russia attacks grain warehouses in Odessa region : On July 21, writing on Telegram , the governor of this region Oleh Kiper said that a Russian missile hit a grain warehouse of an agricultural enterprise in the Odessa region, southern Ukraine. The official stated: "Unfortunately, a grain warehouse of an agricultural enterprise in the Odessa region was hit. The enemy destroyed 100 tons of beans and 20 tons of barley." (TASS)

* Ukraine has achieved “certain” success on the ground: On July 20, in a phone call with the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, the Commander-in-Chief of the VSU, General Valery Zaluzhny, announced that the country’s army had achieved “certain success” in some areas. However, Mr. Zaluzhny emphasized that Ukrainian soldiers had to overcome “super-complex” minefields set up by Russian engineers, anti-tank barriers and carefully calculated destructive fire systems. He affirmed that Ukraine needed to receive F-16 fighter jets to regain superiority on the ground: “A limited number is enough.”

For his part, General Mark Milley assessed: “Most of the Ukrainian casualties in the counteroffensive did not come from Russian fire. Instead, they came from minefields – minefields supported by anti-tank fire.” (Reuters)

* Ukraine begins using US-supplied cluster bombs and munitions : On July 20, the Washington Post (WP) quoted informed Ukrainian officials as saying that Kiev had begun using cluster bombs and munitions in southeastern Ukraine. Accordingly, this type of weapon was fired at Russian bases to destroy fortifications and slow down Ukraine's counterattack. It is expected that this type of munition will be used near the city of Bakhmut, which is currently under Russian control.

* Czech Republic, Germany discuss joint purchase of Leopard tanks: On July 21, German Defense Minister Boris Pistotius began an official visit to Prague.

At the official talks, Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova affirmed that Prague wants to negotiate a joint purchase with Berlin of about 70 new Leopard 2A8 battle tanks, worth billions of dollars. She emphasized that in May, the government authorized her to negotiate the possibility of the Czech Republic joining Germany in bidding to buy this modern tank. (TTXVN)

* Pentagon : Some weapons sent to Ukraine were stolen : On July 21, CNN (USA) cited a monthly report by the Pentagon Inspector General saying that last year, some Western weapons sent to Ukraine were stolen and later recovered.

Specifically, the report dated October 2022 summarizes data from February to the end of September 2022, criminals, "volunteers" and arms dealers stole a number of weapons and equipment provided by the West to the Ukrainian army, but later, these weapons "were returned".

According to the report, some military equipment was stolen from the line of contact in southern Ukraine by “gunmen”, and a group of people posing as members of humanitarian organizations stole some bulletproof vests worth $ 17,000. In August 2022, Ukrainian intelligence agencies discovered that soldiers of a volunteer battalion stole 60 rifles and nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition, “presumably to be smuggled onto the black market”.

The report also found that large equipment such as missiles and helicopters were easier to manage than smaller items such as night vision goggles. In late October 2022, US officials resumed inspections of Ukrainian weapons depots to “better monitor the flow of such weapons.”

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the US State Department should pay more attention to the fact that weapons supplied to Ukraine are being smuggled onto the black market and distributed, not only in Europe, but also to other continents. (CNN)

Southeast Asia

* Thai Prime Minister Election: MFP withdraws, 'flag in hand' of Pheu Thai? On July 21, Secretary General of the Forward Party (MFP) Chaithawat Tulathon confirmed that the party has decided to withdraw so that the Pheu Thai Party can lead the potential coalition to form a new government. According to him, the fact that both MFP and Pheu Thai won the first and second largest number of seats in the House of Representatives in the general election held on May 14 reflects the people's desire for a new government that includes parties outside the ruling coalition of the previous government.

In addition, the MFP Secretary General affirmed that the party's main goal is not to help leader Pita Limjaroenrat become the next prime minister, but to "form a democratic government" according to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the eight parties. However, after two failed attempts to nominate Mr. Pita to become prime minister, the MFP decided to give this opportunity back to Pheu Thai.

Chaithawat Tulathon said that the MFP will nominate a Pheu Thai candidate at the next meeting of the Thai Parliament on July 27 to elect a prime minister. Meanwhile, the Pheu Thai Party can also nominate a candidate of its choice. (Bangkok Post)

South Pacific

* Chinese spy ship monitors exercises in Australia : On July 21, speaking at a press conference on the HMAS Canberra, Commander of Australian Joint Operations Lieutenant General Greg Bilton announced that a Chinese spy ship was detected off the northeastern coast of Australia on July 20: “On July 20, the ship’s location was in the Coral Sea. I assume it will move down (south) and follow the exercises closely… Beijing has been doing this for years – we are well prepared to deal with it.” Lieutenant General Bilton assessed China’s response as “polite and in line with normal maritime rules.”

He admitted that Australian defense officials “did not engage with the Chinese side” ahead of the exercise. The military official affirmed: “This exercise is about us, about our partner nations, building interoperability, trust and the ability to respond together to any crisis that may exist in the region in the future.”

During the day, Australia conducted a large-scale joint exercise “Talisman Sabre” with the US and nearly 10 other countries. The “Talisman Sabre” exercise takes place every two years with the participation of more than 30,000 soldiers from 13 countries, including the UK, Japan, Indonesia, Canada and France. (VNA)

Northeast Asia

* Japan closely monitors Russia-China joint military exercises : On July 21, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa said: "We are closely monitoring the current joint military exercises of the Russian and Chinese armies from the perspective of ensuring our country's security."

On July 20, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russia and China have begun the joint naval and air exercise “North/Interaction-2023” in the Sea of ​​Japan until July 23. According to Russia, this is an activity to strengthen military and naval cooperation between Russia and China, protecting stability and peace in the Asia-Pacific.

Last month, Beijing and Moscow conducted a joint air patrol over the Sea of ​​Japan and the East China Sea. South Korea deployed fighter jets as a precaution. (TASS)

* US-South Korean nuclear officials concerned about North Korea : On July 21, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that Kim Gunn, the country's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his US counterpart Sung Kim met in Tokyo. Mr. Kim said: "The two sides expressed deep concern about North Korea's continued rejection of dialogue proposals from South Korea, the US, Japan and the international community, blaming other countries for the escalation of tensions, and called on North Korea to quickly return to denuclearization negotiations."

The two envoys also criticized North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and agreed to maintain a strong defense posture. They pledged to strengthen cooperation with the international community and continue to communicate with China. Both stressed that Beijing has a “constructive and responsible role” in the North Korean nuclear issue as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. (Yonhap)

* Ukrainian President fires Ambassador to the UK : On July 21, Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky fired Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko, but did not give a reason. Mr. Prystaiko is also no longer Ukraine's representative at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The diplomat had earlier criticised President Zelensky's response to British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace's suggestion that Ukraine should show more appreciation for military aid from its allies. (AFP/Reuters)

* Military UAV crashed in Poland belongs to the US: On July 21, the Polish Ministry of Defense confirmed that the reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that crashed in the southwest of the country on the evening of July 18 was used by US soldiers for training flights: "Information obtained shows that during the training flight of US soldiers, communication with the UAV was lost and then it crashed into a forest. No one was injured, and there was no damage after the incident... The UAV was received by the US side." (Reuters)

* Poland moves troops to the East due to fear of Wagner : On July 21, the PAP news agency (Poland) quoted the Secretary of the country's Security Committee, Zbigniew Hoffmann, as saying: "Joint training or exercises of the Belarusian army and the Wagner Group are certainly a provocative act... The Committee has analyzed possible threats, such as the disruption of Wagner units. Therefore, the Minister of Defense, Chairman of the Committee, Mariusz Blaszczak, has decided to move our military formation from the West to the East of Poland."

Warsaw has previously sent 500 police to beef up security at the border in response to the increased number of migrants crossing the border and the presence of Wagner soldiers. (PAP)

* Turkey urges Sweden to expedite NATO accession process : On July 21, Haberturk (Turkey) quoted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying that Ankara will act to ratify Sweden's membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in line with the step taken by Stockholm. The leader hopes Sweden will keep its promise.

Speaking on his return flight after visiting the Gulf and northern Cyprus, he asserted: “It would be in Sweden’s interest if it took concrete steps regarding the fight against terrorist organizations and the extradition of terrorists… We expect them to fulfill their commitments.”

The leader said his planned talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin could help revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and said the West should consider Moscow's proposal. (Reuters)

* Saudi Arabia summons Swedish representative to protest Quran burning : On the evening of July 20, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry said it would hand the Swedish charge d'affaires "a note of protest including Saudi Arabia's request to the Swedish authorities to take all immediate and necessary measures to stop these shameful acts."

The move comes amid heightened tensions between Sweden and Iraq and other Muslim countries after an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden burned a Quran outside Stockholm's main mosque last month. In the latest incident on July 20, a refugee named Salwan Momika, 37, stepped on the Quran but did not burn it. (AFP)

* Yemen government reopens Ghaydah international airport after 9 years : On July 20, the Sana'a government announced the reopening of Al Ghaydah international airport in the eastern province of Al Mahrah, 9 years after the outbreak of military conflict. According to the state news agency Saba, this is an important step forward in Yemen, bringing new hope for economic opportunities and increased connectivity despite many challenges.

According to Yemeni Transport Minister Abdul-Salam Humaid, the reopening of Al Ghaydah airport marks an important milestone, as it is the fourth international airport under government control to resume flights. (Xinhua)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-217-kho-ngu-coc-o-odessa-bi-tan-cong-pheu-thai-co-co-hoi-lap-chinh-phu-235470.html