Russia says NATO 'wastes' resources, China gains more strategic partners from Europe

The impact of the US election on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, South Korea 'regretting' North Korea's military parade... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Mr. Tan Kin Lian is the fourth person to run for the position of President of Singapore. (Source: Getty Images)

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

* Russia steps up attacks on Ukraine's military infrastructure : On July 31, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said: "In the context of the so-called unsuccessful counteroffensive campaign, the Kiev authorities, with the support of Western sponsors, have focused on carrying out terrorist attacks against civilian infrastructure in Russian cities and towns."

He affirmed that in that situation, the Russian army has increased the intensity of attacks on Ukrainian military facilities, including those behind terrorist attacks on Russia. (AFP/Sputnik)

* Russia : NATO "wastes" resources when supporting Ukraine's counterattack campaign: On July 31, referring to Ukraine's counterattack campaign, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is "wasting" resources when providing military aid to Ukraine.

“Kiev has not achieved any success. Moreover, Ukraine is in a very, very difficult situation. The special military operation will continue. It is clear that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is not going the way they wanted,” he said.

He also said that Russia would take additional measures to defend against Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). According to him, Russia and Ukraine have not yet been able to agree on a peaceful solution.

In addition, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will find out the purpose of the upcoming talks that are said to be planned in Saudi Arabia. Earlier, over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal (USA) reported that Riyadh will invite Western countries, representatives of Kiev and important developing countries to the discussions. According to the newspaper, the Kiev government and Western countries hope that the discussions, which exclude Russia, can gain international support for peace conditions favorable to Ukraine. (Reuters/Sputnik)

* Impact of US election on Russia-Ukraine conflict: On July 31, in an interview with aif.ru (Russia), Deputy Chairman of the Russian Senate Konstantin Kosachev stated: “This is a dangerous situation, the Americans are not afraid to use foreign policy in the competition between parties. If one of the parties feels the need to escalate the situation in Ukraine to win more votes at the election, they will do so.”

According to him, the risk of further escalation of military conflict through heavy weapons could increase the possibility of nuclear use: “Fortunately, we have not reached that threshold. However, the risk is very high.”

According to Senate Speaker Konstantin Kosachev, Washington persuaded Kiev to abandon negotiations with Moscow last year and will not be able to return. “The negotiations began in March last year, but were hampered by external influence on Ukraine. Then, by decree, President Zelensky banned himself and all other Ukrainian authorities from participating in such negotiations. Of course, this was a decision made by the US side. They can reverse the decision, but I have not seen such intentions,” he noted. (TASS)

Southeast Asia

* The fourth candidate for the position of President of Singapore has been revealed: On July 31, Singaporean media reported that in an announcement made late on July 30, Mr. Tan Kin Lian said that he submitted his application on July 11 and will wait for the Presidential Election Commission (PEC) to confirm which candidates are qualified before deciding whether to officially submit his nomination on Nomination Day.

Mr Tan Kin Lian, 75, was the CEO of NTUC Income from 1977-2007 and ran for president in 2011. At that time, Mr Tan Kin Lian faced three other candidates and received only 4.91% of the vote. The winning candidate in the 2011 election was Mr Tony Tan, who won 35.2% of the vote.

In his statement, Mr Tan said that of the three announced candidates, only former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam could meet the criteria. Meanwhile, it is unclear whether the other two candidates, Mr George Goh and Mr Ng Kok Song, meet the criteria.

Specifically, to run for president in Singapore, candidates must be Singaporean citizens, 45 years old by Nomination Day. If from the public sector, candidates must have held senior positions in the government. If candidates come from the private sector, they must be leaders of a company with shareholder capital of not less than 500 million SGD (376 million USD), and have been profitable in the past 3 years. (VNA)

* Myanmar military government extends state of emergency : On July 31, Myanmar's National Defense and Security Council agreed to extend the state of emergency for another 6 months. According to national television station MRTV (Myanmar), acting President Myint Swe, head of the Council, announced the decision. (AFP)

Northeast Asia

* China, Georgia upgrade strategic partnership : On July 31, Xinhua News Agency (China) published a joint statement by the governments of China and Georgia.

Accordingly, from July 26 to August 1, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili visited China and attended the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU World University Games in Chengdu. During the visit, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Chengdu and met with Premier Li Qiang in Beijing. The two sides had in-depth discussions on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual concern and reached broad consensus. The two sides decided to upgrade bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

China and Georgia shared the view that since the establishment of diplomatic relations on June 9, 1992, the two sides have achieved many positive results in various fields of cooperation. In the context of complicated developments in the international and regional situation, the two sides shared the commitment to expanding cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields, enhancing cooperation on international issues, deepening bilateral relations, for the sake of peace, stability and development of the region and the world. (Reuters/Xinhua)

* South Korea “ regrets ” North Korea’s military parade: “We express deep regret over how North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons and adopt a confrontational attitude instead of seeking denuclearization and peace, despite this year marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement,” South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Koo Byoung Sam said on July 31. Noting that North Korea has taken military actions, including missile tests, the official called on North Korea to stop developing its nuclear weapons and choose the “right” path.

Earlier, on the evening of July 27, under the witness of leader Kim Jong-un and senior officials from China and Russia, North Korea conducted a military parade. This activity saw the appearance of the most modern weapons such as the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, reconnaissance aircraft and a number of UAVs. (Yonhap)

Europe

* Russia sets conditions for withdrawing tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus: On July 31, Mr. Alexei Polishchuk, Director of the CIS II Department, Russian Foreign Ministry, stated: "The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is a response to the long-term destabilizing nuclear policy of NATO and Washington, as well as the recent fundamental changes in the very security of Europe."

The diplomat noted that the mandatory containment measure is aimed at ensuring the security of the Russian-Belarusian Union State. Therefore, according to Mr. Polishchuk, the option of withdrawing nuclear weapons from the territory of Belarus can only be implemented if the US and NATO change their policies and completely remove US nuclear weapons and the corresponding infrastructure from Europe.

Earlier this year, Moscow and Minsk agreed on the transfer of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. According to President Vladimir Putin, the construction of the storage facility in Belarus was completed on July 1. He noted that Moscow is not violating any international obligations and is doing what Washington has been doing for decades, which is to deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.

In April, the Belarusian armed forces received Iskander-M tactical missile systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads. In addition, a part of ground attack aircraft has also been converted to carry nuclear weapons. (Sputnik)

* British Foreign Secretary urges increased cooperation with Africa : On July 31, in an interview with the Financial Times (UK), British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly emphasized: "If (African) countries are concerned about internal security and self-defense capabilities, we need to recognize that and should seek to dialogue with them about truly sustainable security measures."

He said he would seriously consider any requests from regional leaders to “coordinate capacity building and training with the British armed forces.” The diplomat added that the British military could “export” professionalism and respect for international law to the continent.

Mr Cleverley said that some African countries have received “appealing offers” from Russia and China. However, the diplomat said that Africa-Russia-China cooperation will soon change. “On China, I have spoken to African leaders. There are some who are uncomfortable with their level of indebtedness, and the fact that the Chinese government is not part of the Paris Club [of mainly Western creditor nations], for example, when it comes to how you deal with sovereign debt,” he explained.

He is expected to visit Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia this week to discuss “a future-oriented, mutually beneficial partnership” between Britain and Africa. (Financial Times)

Middle East-Africa

* Israel will not make concessions on Palestine because of Saudi Arabia : On July 31, speaking on Kan radio, Ms. Orit Strook, Minister of National Mission of Israel, declared that the Government of this country will not make concessions on Palestine issues in negotiations to establish official relations with Saudi Arabia.

Asked whether Israel would accept some concessions on its Palestinian policy in exchange for Saudi Arabia agreeing to establish relations, the official said: “We certainly would not accept such a condition. We have withdrawn our people. We have stopped construction in the West Bank. This is a consensus across the entire right-wing coalition.”

Israel is looking to establish relations with Saudi Arabia. However, Riyadh has repeatedly made it clear that for this to happen, the Jewish state must first resolve the Palestinian issue. (Times of Israel)

* Situation in Niger: France does not recognize the coup, Germany has no plans to evacuate citizens : On July 31, the French Foreign Ministry announced that the only government that Paris recognizes as legitimate in Niger is the government of President Mohamed Bazoum. In a statement sent to Reuters , the ministry stated: "Our priority is the security of our citizens and our facilities, which cannot be affected by the violent situation, according to international law."

However, the ministry did not confirm that the attack could have been authorized by the Niger government to free Mr. Bazoum. Earlier in the day, the Niger military government said that the ousted government had authorized France to carry out an attack on the presidential palace in an attempt to free Mr. Bazoum.

For its part, on the same day, a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that Berlin had “suspended all direct support payments to the central government of Niger until further notice.” In addition, the German Development Ministry also decided to suspend “bilateral development cooperation” with the West African country. The official warned that Berlin could impose additional sanctions.

At the same time, the German Foreign Ministry spokesman stated: “According to our assessment of the current situation, an evacuation plan is not yet necessary.” However, this official affirmed that Berlin is ready to respond in case of escalation in Niger.

In a statement on the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov affirmed that the situation in Niger “causes serious concern”. Russia calls on all sides to exercise restraint and return to legal order as quickly as possible. Mr. Peskov emphasized: “We call on all sides to quickly restore the rule of law in the country and to refrain from causing further casualties” (AFP/Reuters)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-317-nga-noi-nato-bo-phi-nguon-luc-trung-quoc-co-them-doi-tac-chien-luoc-tu-chau-au-236652.html