Russia warns about F-16 aid to Ukraine, Thailand has not elected prime minister

American newspapers revealed Mr. Zelensky's unexpected intentions, South Korea and Australia discussed organizing a 2+2 Dialogue... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Joe Biden with leaders of several NATO countries at the alliance's summit on July 12 in Vilnus, Lithuania. (Source: New York Times)

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

* Russia : F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine are a “nuclear” threat : On July 13, the Russian Foreign Ministry quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying: “We will consider the Ukrainian Armed Forces having such systems (F-16 fighter jets) as a threat from the West in the nuclear field.”

Previously, some Western countries had left open the possibility of transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine next year. However, it is not yet clear when and which country will transfer this combat vehicle to Kiev. (AFP)

* Ukraine shoots down many Russian UAVs and missiles : On July 13, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said: "On the night of July 12, we had a successful air defense operation when we shot down 20 Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and intercepted two Kalibr cruise missiles." This is the third consecutive night of attacks on Kiev and several other places in Ukraine. (AFP)

* US newspaper: Mr. Zelensky once threatened not to attend the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting : On July 13, the New York Times quoted an anonymous official revealing that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once threatened not to attend the first meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council. The article wrote: "Although Mr. Zelensky reduced his public statements on July 12, as early as the evening of July 11, Mr. Zelensky threatened not to attend the first meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council."

Specifically, the leader and his Eastern European partners “expect more” from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit, especially determining a specific time for Kiev to join the military alliance. President Zelensky said that NATO's stance has “insulted” Ukraine. Previously, in a joint statement on July 11, member countries confirmed their intention to simplify the NATO accession procedure for Ukraine. However, they also did not specify a specific time for Ukraine to officially become a member of the alliance, emphasizing that this prospect can only become a reality after the conflict ends. (New York Times)

* South Korea continues to support Ukraine through cooperation with Poland : On July 13, in an interview with the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita ahead of his visit to Warsaw, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stated: "South Korea continues to support Ukraine through close cooperation with Poland, one of the leading countries in Europe supporting Kiev." He emphasized that Seoul will increase support for Kiev, including reconstruction projects in Ukraine.

Regarding bilateral relations, Mr. Yoon commented: “The partnership between Korea and Poland now goes beyond the economic and trade framework.” The leader assessed that Poland has become one of Korea’s largest trade surplus partners, mainly thanks to the growth trend of defense industry exports. He hoped that bilateral defense cooperation would be further expanded to include joint research and development.

Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine, has been at the forefront of lobbying efforts to impose sanctions on Russia and has shown strong political, economic and military support for Kiev. (Yonhap)

* Australian Minister skeptical about sending fighter jets to Ukraine : On July 12, speaking on ABC News (Australia), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Marles said: "Aircraft have become a much more complicated issue. The situation regarding aircraft is quite complicated, but we will continue to dialogue with Ukraine around this issue." According to him, what Canberra provides and deploys needs to be "practical and make a difference".

Meanwhile, experts predict that any agreement on Australia sending fighter jets to Ukraine will be fraught with diplomatic and logistical controversy, and is unlikely to be finalized quickly.

Earlier, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Lithuania, Australia pledged to send Ukraine an additional 30 Bushmaster armored infantry vehicles worth $67 million. However, the Kiev government also demanded information on the status of dozens of retired Australian F-18 fighter jets, which could provide a major boost to the current superiority of the Russian air force. (ABC News)

Southeast Asia

* Thailand has not elected a prime minister: On the afternoon of July 13, the Thai National Assembly, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, voted to elect a prime minister. Mr. Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the March Forward Party (MFP), is the only candidate nominated for prime minister.

After the afternoon debate ended, each of the MPs and senators whose names were called voted by word of mouth to elect the prime minister. As a result, Mr. Pita won 322 votes in favor, 182 votes against, and 197 abstentions. According to the Thai Constitution, a candidate needs at least 376 out of 750 votes to form a new government.

Commenting on this result, President of the Thai National Assembly Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said that Mr. Pita could still be nominated several times. It is expected that the next election schedule for the next prime minister will be convened by the National Assembly on July 19 and 20. (Bangkok Post)

* South Korea pledges to expand partnership with ASEAN : On July 13, during a meeting with foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said Seoul plans to “deepen and expand our partnership with ASEAN” through the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI).

“Part of these efforts will culminate in the establishment of the ASEAN-ROK comprehensive strategic partnership next year, which marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations,” he stressed. (Yonhap)

South Pacific

* South Korea, Australia consider holding 2+2 Dialogue : South Korea is considering the possibility of holding a 2+2 Dialogue with Australia in October 2023, sources said on July 13. Recently, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin held bilateral consultations with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. According to Seoul officials, South Korea and Australia agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation and strategic communication to support peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. (Yonhap)

Northeast Asia

* G7 criticizes North Korea for launching ballistic missiles: The joint statement on July 13 by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations emphasized: "We... strongly condemn North Korea's launch of another intercontinental ballistic missile on July 12... These launches pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and stability, and undermine the global nuclear non-proliferation regime." (Reuters)

Central Asia

* Armenia criticizes the “ blockade ” of Karabakh before peace talks: On July 13, speaking at a cabinet meeting, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized: “Regarding the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the deepening humanitarian crisis, the binding ruling of the International Court of Arbitration (ICJ) has created the possibility of greater international solidarity to stop Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh.”

The head of the Armenian government also announced that the next round of negotiations between him and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will be held on July 15 in Brussels under the mediation of European Council President Charles Michel.

Azerbaijan said this week it had temporarily closed the only road linking its breakaway region to Armenia, accusing the Armenian branch of the Red Cross of smuggling. The move has raised concerns about a humanitarian crisis in the restive Nagorno-Karabakh region, where officials say the region is facing food shortages and local residents have no access to health services. (VNA)

Europe

* Wagner convoy moves towards Moscow : On July 13, writing on the Telegram channel, war correspondent Alexander Kots stated: “The Wagner private military force seems to have begun redeploying from field camps. A long convoy without heavy equipment is moving along the M4 highway towards Moscow, accompanied by police.”

Buses with Belarusian license plates were seen in the convoy, which could indicate Wagner's destination. However, there is no official information yet on plans to redeploy the force.

A day earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had completed the delivery of weapons and equipment to Wagner units. Accordingly, more than 2,000 pieces of equipment and weapons, including main battle tanks, multiple rocket launchers, self-propelled guns, air defense systems and various combat vehicles, were delivered. The Russian army also received 20,000 small arms and 2,500 tons of ammunition. (Avia pro)

* Czech Senate ratifies Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US : On July 13, with 66/72 votes in favor, the Czech Senate ratified the Czech-US Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA).

Speaking after the vote, Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova stressed that in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict taking place not far from the country's border, "increasing defense cooperation with the United States is in the Czech security interests."

However, the official asserted that the DCA “does not grant the US armed forces the right to stay on Czech territory,” reiterating that “the stay of specific US soldiers or units must be approved by the Czech government and parliament.”

The DCA is about 40 pages long, covering many areas that may be related to the possibility of a US military presence in the Czech Republic or cooperation between the two countries' armed forces in the Czech Republic. According to the plan, after being approved by the Senate, this document will continue to be approved by the Czech House of Representatives once again on July 19, before being submitted to President Petr Pavel for consideration and official approval.

Currently, most NATO members have signed defense agreements or similar documents with the US. The Czech Republic is the only country in the eastern part of NATO that has not done so. (TTXVN)

* US - Finnish Presidents hold talks on bilateral relations : On July 13, speaking before talks with his host counterpart Sauli Niinisto in Helsinki, Finland, US President Joe Biden affirmed that the two countries share common democratic values. He emphasized that Finland will bring "extraordinary value" to NATO and: "I think NATO has never been stronger than it is today. Together, we represent common democratic values."

For his part, President Niinisto said that Finland was “entering a new and safer era” by joining NATO, and he credited his American counterpart with “creating unity” at the Vilnius Summit, which focused on Ukraine.

During the formal talks, the two leaders discussed security, environmental and technological cooperation, according to the Finnish President's Office. The Finnish Prime Minister is expected to hold formal talks with President Biden.

After the talks, the two presidents will attend a summit with the leaders of the Nordic countries of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland. This will be the third summit of the Nordic leaders with the US president, following the 2013 summit in Stockholm and the 2016 summit in Washington. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* Sudan's Neighboring Countries Summit : On July 13, the Sudan Neighboring Countries Summit opened in Cairo, Egypt to discuss solutions to the ongoing conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan.

The conference was chaired by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, with the participation of leaders from Chad, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya and South Sudan.

In a statement, the host country's leader said that delegates will work to promote effective mechanisms to resolve the conflict in Sudan peacefully, along with other regional and international efforts. President El-Sisi stressed that the conflict in Sudan has destroyed institutions and negatively impacted the humanitarian situation there. The Egyptian leader called on the conflicting parties in Sudan to stop escalating tensions, launch a negotiation process and open safe corridors to ensure the Sudanese people have access to humanitarian aid.

Also at the conference, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki spoke out against foreign intervention in Sudan, stating that “there is no justification for this in the current conflict in Sudan.”

Since May 15, Sudan has seen bloody fighting between the SAF and RSF in Khartoum and other areas, with both sides accusing each other of starting the conflict. Many countries have evacuated their citizens from the Sudanese capital. The United States and Saudi Arabia have so far attempted to mediate between the two sides. However, bilateral ceasefires have been frequently violated or short-lived. (AP)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-137-nga-canh-bao-ve-vien-tro-f-16-cho-ukraine-thai-lan-chua-bau-duoc-thu-tuong-234492.html