Russia strengthens position along frontline, Israel affirms determination to fight Hamas

Indian ship arrives in the Philippines, UAV crashes in Romania, Israel calls for anti-Houthi coalition... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Russian people on December 14. (Source: AP)

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

* President Putin : Russian troops consolidate positions along the front line in Ukraine : On December 14, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the public and journalists that Ukraine had lost some of its best soldiers in its efforts to secure a strong position on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region. He also highlighted the important need to maintain mechanisms within the United Nations framework, such as the veto power of permanent members of the Security Council. (Reuters)

* Russia puts head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency on wanted list : On December 14, Russia put the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (GUR) Kyrylo Budanov on the "wanted" list, accusing GUR of carrying out attacks inside Russia. Russia accused Mr. Budanov of organizing the 2022 attack that destroyed part of the bridge connecting Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed.

Late last month, Ukraine publicly accused Russia of poisoning Budanov's wife, Marianna Budanova, with mercury and arsenic. Budonova was an adviser to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The Kremlin has denied the accusation. (AFP)

* Russia closely watches US cuts in Ukraine aid : Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview on December 13: “The Kiev government promised that if you give us $100 billion, we will win on the ground. The Americans now understand that they have been deceived. There is no victory on the ground. It is certain that Ukrainian forces are rapidly losing ground. This is an inevitable process. The Americans “really from the very beginning began to ask themselves the question: what are they spending this money on?” He also expressed doubts about continued US military aid to Ukraine. (Reuters)

* Ukraine says it shot down several Russian UAVs overnight : On December 13, the Ukrainian Air Force wrote on Telegram: "Air defense forces shot down 41 out of 42 Shahed-136/131 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Most of them were shot down in the Odessa region." Debris from the UAVs damaged more than a dozen buildings in Odessa and injured 11 civilians, including three children. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia also attacked port infrastructure in the Danube region. Debris damaged two grain storage facilities. (Reuters)

* US: Ukraine conflict causes significant damage to Russia's economy: On December 14, the Financial Times (UK) quoted Mr. Rachel Lyngaas, the leading economist on sanctions at the US Treasury Department, as saying that the Russian economy would have grown by more than 5% if Russia had not launched a military campaign in Ukraine. He added that Russia is performing worse than other energy exporters, including the US. The US Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Russia has spent more than $100 billion, or nearly a third of its total defense spending in 2023. The mainstay of the Russian economy, oil and gas revenues, has been hit hard this year, although there has been a slight recovery in recent months as oil prices have stabilized. In addition, Western sanctions on Russia's oil trade have not had as big an impact as expected. (Financial Times)

* Israel declares to continue fighting Hamas despite international pressure : On December 14, speaking to soldiers at a military base in the southern part of the Jewish state, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We will continue until the end. There is no doubt about this. I also say this in the face of great pain but also in the face of international pressure. Nothing can stop us. We will go to the end, until victory, no more, no less.” The Israeli Government Press Agency released a video of the above visit.

On the same day, speaking to reporters, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen made a similar statement: “Israel will continue to fight Hamas, with or without international support… A ceasefire at this stage is a gift to Hamas. We will not allow this organization to return or threaten the Israeli people.” He also called on the international community to take more “effective and positive” action to protect shipping routes. (TASS/Times of Israel)

* Israel's offensive operation in the West Bank enters its second day : In the past 30 hours, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Border Police have launched a major military operation in the city of Jenin in the West Bank to capture suspects suspected of attacking the country.

Since December 12, Israeli soldiers have searched 400 buildings in the Jenin refugee camp, forcing schools to close and students to switch to online learning. The IDF has used UAV airstrikes to kill seven Palestinians, including four gunmen and a 13-year-old boy. At the same time, Israel has arrested hundreds of wanted Palestinians and seized dozens of different types of weapons.

There is no sign that the IDF will stop its offensive in the West Bank. Since October 7, the IDF has arrested 2,000 wanted Palestinians in the West Bank, including more than 1,100 accused of links to Hamas, while about 280 have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces. (Times of Israel)

* Hamas leader ready to discuss ceasefire with Israel : On December 13, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised speech: "We are ready to discuss any idea or initiative that can end Israel's actions and open up opportunities to put Palestinian homes in their rightful place in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." He also declared that any settlement in Gaza without Hamas is "illusory." (Xinhua/Reuters)

* Russia increases medical aid to Gaza Strip at Israel's request : On December 14, speaking to the public, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will increase the delivery of medical equipment and medicine to people affected by the Hamas-Israel conflict in the Gaza Strip, at the request of the Jewish State. He stated: "We have reached an agreement with the Israeli side, according to which they asked us to take this action to increase the supply of medical equipment and medicine. We will meet that request."

At the same time, he stressed the need to ensure the lives of people in the Gaza Strip and called for large-scale humanitarian aid to the territory. President Putin also said that he had discussed with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the possibility of opening a Russian-run hospital in the Gaza Strip, but the plan has not yet been guaranteed to be safe.

In addition, at the event, the Russian leader also spoke out to defend the United Nations, explaining that this multilateral organization is considered inactive in the Hamas-Israel conflict due to a lack of consensus among member states.

President Putin said that sports should not be politicized, because they are meant to unite people. Referring to the call to suspend Israel from competing in the Olympics, he noted: “In this regard, you mentioned Israel, about Israeli athletes, despite the events that are taking place in Gaza, I would agree with the international sports authorities. Sports are beyond politics, this sphere is meant to unite people.” (Sputnik)

Southeast Asia

* Indian warship visits Philippines : An Indian warship visited Manila on December 13. Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu Kumaran said the anti-submarine warfare frigate INS Kadmatt docked in Manila on a “goodwill visit” to highlight the strong bilateral ties between India and the Philippines as “democracies”.

“We have a common interest in peace and stability in the region… We fully support our Philippine friends in their efforts to ensure that whatever happens in the seas respects the constitution of those waters,” he said.

As scheduled, the INS Kadmatt will participate in a “maritime partnership exercise” with the Philippine Navy’s offshore patrol vessel BRP Ramon in the East Sea. (VNA)

Northeast Asia

* China, Russia continue joint patrols in the East China Sea : On December 14, the Chinese Ministry of Defense website confirmed that China and Russia conducted the 7th joint patrol in the Sea of ​​Japan and the East China Sea during the day.

“In accordance with the annual cooperation plan between the armed forces of China and Russia, on December 14, the two sides held the seventh joint strategic air patrol in the airspace over the Sea of ​​Japan and the East China Sea,” the statement said, without elaborating.

Earlier, the joint naval exercise “Northern Interaction-2023” took place from July 20 to 23. A total of 20 combat training items were carried out, including artillery fire at sea, coastal and air targets. (TASS)

* South Korea on alert for security threats : On December 14, speaking during a visit to the Defense Counterintelligence Command in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won Sik highlighted the agency's role in protecting military and defense industry secrets. He said: "As the only unit specializing in security and counterintelligence operations, I hope you will always be ready to protect military and defense secrets."

Later, the defense minister visited the Cyber ​​Command to urge soldiers to be more prepared against growing cyber threats. Meanwhile, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su also held a meeting with key commanders at the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, south of Seoul, calling for realistic training and equipping soldiers with a strong fighting spirit. (Yonhap)

* Russia attracts public opinion in both Europe and the US : On December 14, speaking at a meeting with the people and the press on December 14, President Vladimir Putin said: "I know that not only in German cities, but also in many cities in Europe and the US, people believe that we are doing everything right, we are not afraid to fight for our national interests." He pointed out that Russia has a large number of supporters of the policy of protecting traditional values ​​in the world and this number is increasing many times over, exponentially.

In addition, President Putin warned that over-reliance on the US dollar causes many serious socio-economic problems. The leader emphasized: "Russia is not abandoning the US dollar, but we are starting to get frustrated when faced with problems in payments in US dollars and euros." (Sputnik/VNA)

* UAV crashes again in Romanian territory near the Ukrainian border : On December 14, the Romanian Ministry of Defense confirmed that based on information from the scene, its forces conducted a search operation overnight.
During the morning, they discovered a 1.5m deep crater, which was determined to be the result of an “uncontrolled collision” of the UAV used in the attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure.

This is an uninhabited area, about 4 km upstream from the town of Grindu, Romania. The Romanian Ministry of Defense has taken measures to protect the scene and notified the competent authorities to collect evidence and conduct an investigation into the incident according to the correct procedures.

In the early morning of December 4, Russian forces used UAVs to repeatedly attack Ukrainian port infrastructure near the border with Romania. The Romanian Ministry of Defense confirmed that it had monitored the situation in the border area and activated an air warning, and informed the Inspector General of emergencies about the risk that the districts of Tulcea and Galati could be affected by the risks related to the above situation.

Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jets from Air Base 86 in Fetesti and German Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons from Air Base 57 were deployed to monitor Romanian airspace. The alert was lifted at 02:00 on December 14 (local time).

Since early September, four other UAVs have crashed in Romanian territory on the border with Ukraine. In October, Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar admitted that he had added aerial surveillance systems to the Danube Delta region near Ukrainian ports that have been frequently attacked by Russian forces. (VNA)

* Israel calls for international coalition against Houthis : On December 13, Israeli President Isaac Herzog stressed that the continued acts of terrorism and piracy by the Houthi forces against ships of all nationalities require the entire international community to act, united, strong and decisive to extinguish this threat. In addition, this leader also stated that the US-led international operation against the Houthi terrorist pirate group must be strengthened and enhanced in the form of a true international coalition.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, announced their entry into the Israel-Hamas conflict in late October by launching missiles and drones at southern Israel. In recent weeks, they have also attacked ships heading to Israeli ports on the Red Sea. (Al-Jaazera)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-1412-nga-cung-co-vi-tri-doc-tuyen-dau-israel-khang-dinh-quyet-tam-chong-hamas-253913.html