Why Russia says "stop joking"; China-Philippines "trade words" over the East Sea; US finalizes retaliation plan in the Middle East

China affirms its support for Russia on the Ukraine issue, Moscow is concerned about the situation in the Middle East, Houthi declares to continue attacks at sea, Beijing-Manila dispute sovereignty in the East Sea... are some of the outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.

Boris Nadezhdin, a candidate who opposes the military campaign in Ukraine, will run for Russian President in March. (Source: Telegram)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's outstanding international events:

Russia-Ukraine

* China has affirmed its support for Russia on the Ukraine issue despite US pressure and threats to Beijing-European Union (EU) defense cooperation, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said at a video conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.

Noting that Beijing is trying to strongly support Moscow, Dong Jun made it clear: "The US is constantly aiming its 'sharps' at China and Russia... They should not and will not be able to interfere with normal Moscow-Beijing cooperation." (Sputnik)

* The EU says Ukraine needs more ammunition , according to the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on January 31.

Stressing that the EU must demonstrate that it will continue to have clear commitments to Ukraine, Mr. Borrell also affirmed that it is important to clarify the situation and "know where we are now, where we will be in March and at the end of this year." (AFP)

* US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland arrived in Ukraine on January 31 for talks.

“Today, we will meet with government leaders, veterans, and civil society to underscore our shared commitment to defeating Russia’s campaign in Ukraine,” US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on social media platform X. (Reuters)

* 2024 is a difficult year on the front lines in Ukraine, according to CIA Director Bill Burns on January 30.

In an article on the website of Diplomacy magazine, Mr. Burns commented: "A US withdrawal from the conflict at this critical moment and cutting off support for Ukraine would be an own goal of historic proportions."

He called on the US to continue supporting Ukraine to give Kiev a strong position at the negotiating table if there is a chance for peace talks. (Reuters)

* The results of the examination show that the Il-76 was shot down by a Western air defense missile , according to a representative of the Russian emergency agency on January 31.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said that Russia has shown no willingness to return the bodies of 65 Ukrainian prisoners who Moscow says died in the IL-76 plane crash in the Belgorod region last week. (Sputnik)

Middle East

* Houthi announced to continue attacking British and US warships in the Red Sea , according to a statement by Houthi military spokesman posted by Al-Massirah TV channel.

The statement added that the Houthis had launched “several” missiles at “the US destroyer USS Graveley in the Red Sea”.

Earlier, on the evening of January 30, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the Houthis had launched an anti-ship cruise missile from Yemen towards the Red Sea, but the USS Gravely shot down the missile. (Reuters)

* The EU's Red Sea defence mission needs a commanding state. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell hopes the bloc can make a decision by January 31.

The mission could launch no later than mid-February, Mr Borrell said, and "a decision must be made on the country that will lead it, where the headquarters will be, what equipment it will have and which country will provide it".

Stressing that not all member states were ready to participate but no country would stand in the way, Mr. Borrell hoped February 17 would be the launch date for this mission called Aspides (Protector). (AFP)

* The US has finalized a plan to respond to the drone attack in Jordan, according to US President Joe Biden's statement to reporters on January 30 before leaving the White House for Florida.

The US will respond appropriately and it could be a phased approach, not just a single action but a series of actions, said John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council.

Following the US announcement, Iran's special envoy to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani warned that the country would respond to any attack on its territory. (Reuters , Shafaq News )

* There is a risk of instability affecting a large area of ​​the Middle East with the current situation, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavro.

According to Mr. Lavrov, Israel's refusal to implement the UN Security Council's decision on the two-state solution is being ignored, while it is the key to long-term stability in the Middle East and the elimination of extremism and terrorism. (TASS)

* Hamas delegation to Egypt discusses ceasefire proposal with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel in Cairo.

The proposal is the result of discussions in Paris on January 28 involving top officials from Israel, the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

Earlier, the head of the political wing of Hamas Movement Ismail Haniyeh said he had received the ceasefire proposal and was reviewing the framework of the above agreement. (Reuters)

Europe

* Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu urged military manufacturers to "stop joking" and urged them to step up production of self-propelled artillery systems.

Reprimanding the management of a factory for failing to produce enough self-propelled guns, Mr. Shoigu demanded: "Within the next week, I want to receive a concrete proposal on how we can achieve the targets set by President Vladimir Putin."

Russian officials stressed that all these orders "are related to carrying out very specific tasks on the battlefield." (Reuters)

* Another Russian presidential candidate has collected enough signatures to run for election: On January 31, the Russian Central Election Commission (SIK) announced that it had received 105,000 signatures in support of Boris Nadezhdin's candidacy for the Russian presidency for the 2026-2032 term.

The number of signatures above exceeds the regulation of 100 thousand signatures to register a candidate because Mr. Nadezhdin wanted to "subtract" the number of signatures that were rejected when SIK checked the authenticity of the signatures.

Mr. Nadezhdin is considered a candidate capable of competing with the current President Vladimir Putin. Physicist, former member of the Russian State Duma, Nadezhdin positions himself as an opponent of President Putin's policies, especially opposing the military campaign that Russia launched in Ukraine.

Mr. Nadezhdin ran on a platform of peace, cooperation, honest elections, and the guarantee of freedom of speech and other human rights.

If approved by SIK, Mr. Nadezhdin will become the fifth candidate to run for the position of head of the Russian Federation. (Reuters)

* Hungary's prime minister considers Ukraine a "serious problem" for Europe if it integrates, even if Kiev is not in conflict.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called for “extreme caution because Ukraine is a large country”, saying that closer ties “would have a huge and damaging impact on European economies, especially in the agricultural sector”.

He called on the European Commission to “defend European interests against Ukrainians, not Ukrainian interests against European farmers.” (Reuters)

* Bulgaria issues arrest warrants for 6 Russian citizens linked to 2021 explosions: On January 30, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office issued European arrest warrants for 6 Russian citizens accused of being involved in a series of explosions that occurred at factories and military warehouses in Bulgaria in 2021.

The prosecutor's office stressed that during the investigation and further evidence collection, it was established that the accused Russian citizens were in Bulgaria at the time of the incident, using false documents. (The Kyiv Independent)

Asia

* China-Philippines dispute over sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal: On the evening of January 30, a spokesman for the Chinese Coast Guard affirmed that Beijing has indisputable sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal (called Huangyan by China).

The CCG statement stated that "the China Coast Guard will always safeguard and enforce" the law in waters under its jurisdiction.

In response, on January 31, Philippine National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya said that China's repeated claims of sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal in the East Sea have no legal basis under international law.

In a statement, Mr. Malaya emphasized: "Because the Philippines exercises sovereign rights over Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) and surrounding waters under international law, only Manila has the authority to exercise maritime law enforcement functions, not other countries." (Reuters)

* North Korea launches strategic cruise missile: On January 31, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the country launched the Hwasal-2 (Arrow) strategic cruise missile on January 30, two days after Pyongyang launched the Pulhwasal-3-31 (Rocket) cruise missile from a submarine.

The US mission to the United Nations expressed "grave concern" over the launches and pledged to work with all members of the Security Council to address these threats.

Meanwhile, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said North Korea "may be pursuing the goal of acquiring attack capability by deploying nuclear weapons on cruise missiles." (Yonhap)

* South Korea has begun construction of its third and final 3,600-ton submarine .

Last month, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed a 1.1 trillion won ($829 million) deal with shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean to build Changbogo-III Batch-II-class submarines by 2031.

DAPA said it held talks with Hanwha officials on Jan. 31 to finalize the ship's production schedule to complete construction in 2029 and deliver it to the Navy in 2031 after sea trials. (Yonhap)

* China responds to hot air balloon flying over Taiwan Strait: On January 31, the Chinese government denied allegations surrounding its hot air balloon flying over or near Taiwan.

Most of the balloons are used by private companies and hundreds of thousands of such balloons fly around the world every day, said Chen Bin-hua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of mainland China.

"Hot air balloons are mainly used for people's livelihood purposes such as meteorological monitoring. They have a long history and are nothing new. Such issues should not be politically hyped and provoked cross-strait antagonism and confrontation," Mr. Tran Binh Hoa added. (Reuters)

* Malaysia has a new King: On January 31, Sultan Ibrahim of Johor state was crowned, becoming the 17th King of Malaysia.

Sultan Ibrahim expressed his strong commitment to the fight against corruption as well as an active role in the country's development.

Africa

* AU regrets as 3 West African countries leave ECOWAS: On January 30, the African Union (AU) expressed "deep regret" over the decision of the military governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called on regional leaders to enhance dialogue between ECOWAS leaders and the three countries.

* EU “dilemma” in the Sahel region: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said the decision by the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS has further complicated the European Union's presence in the region.

Noting that three Sahel countries decided to leave the regional organization at the same time while Russia's influence is increasing, Mr. Borrell assessed that Moscow's presence is very large in Mali and may soon be present in Niger and Burkina Faso.

According to him, the EU will have until May 24 to decide whether to maintain its presence in Mali or not, but this bloc "does not want to cooperate" with the African Corps - Russia's military presence in Mali. (AFP)

Oceania

* New Zealand and Australia have held their first "2+2" defence and foreign affairs dialogue to discuss key global issues.

According to New Zealand ministers, the meeting is an important opportunity to discuss shared commitments and identify ways to deepen bilateral cooperation as well as to adjust and enhance the country's responses to international developments, especially those in the Pacific region.

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