Russia 'finalizes' election date, Ukrainian Defense Minister arrives in Washington

Russia-Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement, signaled the resumption of Israel-Hamas negotiations, Turkish President visited Greece... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on December 7. (Source: AFP)

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

* Russia highly values ​​the possibility of victory over Ukraine : On December 7, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov affirmed that the West wants the Russian military operation in Ukraine to end, "but they want to end this campaign with Russia's defeat". This official argued: "However, the developments on the ground show that this desire is impossible and, more precisely, the opposite scenario is inevitable... On the one hand, they will want the conflict to end, but on the other hand, they prolong it by throwing money into a fire".

In another development, the Russian Foreign Ministry made it clear that lasting peace with Ukraine would only become a reality if the West stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine and if Kiev accepted “new territorial realities”. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow was open to negotiations, stating: “At the moment, we do not see political will for peace either in Kiev or in the West”. (AFP/TASS)

* Ukrainian Defense Minister visits Pentagon : On December 6, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. At the meeting, Mr. Austin shared: "We will discuss Ukraine's strategic goals for the coming year and the long-term vision for the future force."

He also announced an additional aid package for Kiev, including anti-aircraft artillery shells. Mr. Umerov thanked his counterpart for the US support.

In a related story, on December 7, Reuters cited several documents saying that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry had requested the US to provide the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system, F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, Apache and Black Hawk helicopters. "At the closed meeting, Ukrainian Defense Ministry officials presented a list of weapons needed to meet Ukraine's needs." This list includes the THAAD missile defense system, F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, and C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft.

Early the same morning, the US Senate failed to pass a bill allocating billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan (China). Even US President Joe Biden's appeal failed to help the document be accepted.

Russia has previously sent a note to NATO countries about supplying weapons to Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any goods containing weapons to Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia. (AFP/Reuters)

* Russia-China trade hits record : On December 7, data from the General Administration of Customs of China showed that trade between Russia and China increased by 26.7% year-on-year to a record $218.17 billion, exceeding the official target ahead of schedule. Specifically, China's exports to Russia increased by 50.2% in the first 11 months of the year to $100.33 billion. In contrast, imports of goods and services from Russia to China increased by 11.8% to $117.84 billion.

Meanwhile, trade between China and the US fell 12.2% to $607.01 billion in the period compared to the same period last year. However, the country remains China's third-largest trading partner after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union. China's exports to the US in the January-November 2023 period fell 13.8% year-on-year to $457.756 billion, while US exports to China fell 7% to $149.258 billion, the General Administration of Customs of China said. (Sputnik/TASS)

* Russia criticizes US President's statement about the risk of confrontation: On December 6, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov stated: "In an attempt to add fuel to the fire of the Ukrainian conflict 'by proxy', they have finally lost touch with reality." According to the Russian diplomat, such words are unacceptable.

A day earlier, speaking before Congress about the allocation of a new aid package for Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “will not stop” if he wins against Ukraine and “will attack NATO countries”. In this case, he noted, the US will have to intervene, and then “the US will fight Russia” and the US does not want this scenario. (TASS)

* US newspaper: Israel has not achieved its goal in the Gaza Strip: On December 6, the Washington Post (US) analyzed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has expanded its campaign to the southern Gaza Strip to coordinate with operations in the northern and central areas. However, to date, the Jewish State has not yet achieved its goal of completely destroying Hamas in Gaza and capturing its leaders.

According to Israel's estimates, the most obvious result of the recent attack was the deployment of many airstrikes and basic control of two-thirds of the important areas of Gaza City, including the fortified Shejaiya area, killing 5,000/27,000-40,000 Hamas gunmen. On the Palestinian side, so far, more than 16,000 civilians have been killed, including more than 5,000 children, in Israeli airstrikes as well as fierce clashes between soldiers on both sides. ( Washington Post)

* Positive signals about the possibility of resuming a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel : On December 7, some regional sources said there are signs that the Jewish State wants to continue exchanging new hostages in order to cease fire and return Palestinian prisoners.

Specifically, Israeli officials recently contacted the Egyptian intermediary to check the feasibility of a proposal in which the Jewish state asked Hamas to return female soldiers, the elderly and the wounded. In return, the Israeli government also implied that it would release a number of sick and elderly prisoners, and even those convicted of injuring or killing Jews.

Ynet (Israel) also reported that the head of Hamas's Political Bureau confirmed that the movement "intends to resume negotiations on the exchange of all Palestinian prisoners and reach a comprehensive agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip." (Ynet)

* US, Israel discuss military operations in Gaza : On December 6, in a phone interview, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said: "We talked about the timetable. I don't want to share that because Israel has telegraphed exactly where their ground operation will take place and I don't want to be the one telegraphing the timetable. I just want to say we talked to them about what they're thinking about the timing of the operation and how this can become a longer-term strategy to solve the problem beyond military measures." (Reuters)

* Egypt faces pressure from Gaza refugees: On December 6, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed (Qatar) reported that Egypt was concerned about Palestinians in the Gaza Strip gathering at its border, following a recent report that the US and Israel were considering the possibility of resettling refugees in the North African country.

However, according to Al Qahera News (Egypt), Cairo has rejected any efforts to resettle any displaced Palestinians in the North African country. Egypt considers this an act of violation of international law, expressing concern about Israel's continued military operations in southern Gaza and causing civilian casualties.

In recent weeks, Egyptian officials have said Israel’s goal is to push Palestinians from Gaza into Sinai, but Cairo has said it will not allow this to happen. In October, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said “eliminating the Palestinian issue without a just solution is not permissible” and that such an action must not be allowed to harm Cairo.

Egypt also stated that allowing Palestinians into Sinai would pose a security threat to Israel. In that case, the Jewish State would have to deal with another front besides the current threat. (TTXVN)

* Russia sets presidential election date : December 7, with 162 votes. The Federation Council (Senate) voted to set the date for the Russian presidential election on March 17, 2024. The Speaker of the Russian Senate, Ms. Valentina Matviyenko, said: "With this decision, we are effectively starting the election campaign."

According to her, for the first time, residents of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, which Russia has annexed, will vote. "By jointly choosing a head of state, we fully share the common responsibility and common destiny of our country," she stressed. Mr. Putin has not yet officially announced his intention to run for a new six-year presidential term. (Reuters)

* Hungary sets conditions for meeting between its leaders and Ukraine: On December 7, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said: "(The meeting between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban) will only be meaningful if there is a possibility of achieving positive results." According to him, everything needs to be "seriously prepared" and "preliminarily discussed" before the meeting if it is held.

Earlier, on the evening of December 6, the Chief of Staff of the President of Ukraine, Mr. Andriy Ermak, announced that he had a phone conversation with the Hungarian Foreign Minister. During the conversation, the two sides discussed the possibility of holding a meeting between President Zelensky and Prime Minister Orban. The two sides also mentioned the upcoming summit of European Union (EU) leaders on December 14-15 with the possibility of starting negotiations on Ukraine's accession.

Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban announced his opposition to starting negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. Budapest is also blocking the allocation of a 50 billion euro EU aid package to Ukraine. Hungary accused Ukraine of failing to ensure the rights of the Hungarian minority in western Ukraine, and stressed that resolving the conflict with Russia by force is futile. (TTXVN)

* Turkey and Greece strive to improve bilateral relations : On December 7, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visited Greece for the first time in 6 years and met with his host counterpart Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

Speaking at the meeting, the Greek President said that improved relations between the two countries would contribute to regional stability. “Greece and Türkiye need to work together to strengthen cooperation, promote international law and, above all, the prosperity of the wider region,” Sakellaropoulou said. She hoped that the 5th meeting of the Greece-Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council would be productive.

For his part, Turkish President Erdogan stressed that the visit would contribute to improving bilateral relations. He said that increasing bilateral trade turnover to 10 billion USD is one of the goals of the two countries.

After meeting the Greek President, the Turkish leader will meet with host country Prime Minister Mitsotakis. The two sides are expected to issue a joint statement and cooperation agreements in the fields of economy, health, education, agriculture, migration and tourism. (VNA)

* Iran seizes two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf : On December 6, Ali Ozmaee, commander of the 5th Naval Region of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said that Iran had seized two ships south of Abu Musa Island, located between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The island is currently administered by Tehran but is claimed by the UAE kingdom of Sharjah.

One ship was carrying 2.28 million liters of fuel and had a crew of 13 foreigners. The other was carrying 2.3 million liters of fuel and had a crew of 21 foreigners. (Tasnim)

* Russia values ​​friendly relations with Saudi Arabia : On December 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Saudi Arabia after visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to regional media, the Russian President was welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before the two sides held a brief televised meeting. Mr. Vladimir Putin affirmed that "nothing can prevent the development of friendly relations" between the two countries, and invited the Saudi Royal Family to visit Moscow. The Russian President emphasized that Moscow and Riyadh need to "exchange information" and "assess what is happening in the region".

For his part, Crown Prince Mohammed assessed that bilateral cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Russia has "helped resolve many tensions in the Middle East and contributed to strengthening security", expressing that the two sides will maintain coordination in the future.

In a joint statement on December 7, the leaders of Russia and Saudi Arabia appreciated the successful efforts of members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners (OPEC+) to enhance the stability of the global oil market.

Mr. Putin also welcomed the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, saying that this move would help strengthen regional security. According to the joint statement, Russia and Saudi Arabia stressed the importance of Iran's commitment to maintaining the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. Russia and Saudi Arabia expressed concern about the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, calling on all parties to end military action in the Palestinian territories and protect civilians in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law. The joint statement also mentioned that the two countries support efforts to end the crisis in Yemen through political means. Russia also "appreciates" Saudi Arabia for its humanitarian and political efforts regarding the situation in Ukraine. (VNA)

* US still wants Israel-Saudi Arabia to normalize relations : Speaking on the sidelines of an energy event in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on December 7, US Special Envoy for Energy Amos Hochstein stressed that the US still expects normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel and still considers this a goal of Washington despite the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. The US is also committed to continuing regional integration. (Reuters)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-712-nga-chot-ngay-bau-cu-bo-truong-quoc-phong-ukraine-toi-washington-253020.html