A major fire in central Moscow, President Putin saying NATO is just a tool of Washington, Ukraine running out of ammunition, President Zelensky about to visit Germany and France... are some of the outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.
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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspects a missile test on February 14. (Source: KCNA) |
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.
Russia-Ukraine
*Russia expects the conflict in Ukraine to last: The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Dmitry Peskov, said on February 14 that “the special military operation was started as an operation against Ukraine, over time it took the form of a war against the Western collective, a war when the countries of the Western collective, led by the United States, directly participated in this conflict”, and because of that it “may last a little longer” but “will not change the course of events”.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the West Moscow's enemies, as they tried to "solve their problems" through Ukraine. (TASS)
*Ukrainian army running out of ammunition: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on February 14 that the Ukrainian army is starting to run out of ammunition as the massive US war aid package for the country requested by President Joe Biden is still being blocked by Republicans in the House of Representatives.
Sullivan's comments came a day after President Biden made a televised address to House Republicans urging them to pass a bill providing aid to Ukraine. The new Ukrainian military commander on February 14 acknowledged that the situation on the front line was "extremely difficult" as delays in US military aid cast a shadow over Ukraine's fighting efforts. (AFP)
Asia-Pacific
*Two Chinese fishermen died after being chased by Taiwan Coast Guard: On February 14, Taiwan Coast Guard (China) announced that two mainland Chinese fishermen "drowned" after being chased by this force off the Kinmen Islands administered by Taiwan.
On the same day, mainland China strongly condemned the incident. Chu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, accused the Taiwanese government, controlled by the Democratic Progressive Party, of seizing mainland Chinese fishing boats for various reasons and treating Chinese fishermen harshly, saying this was the main cause of the incident. (Xinhua)
*North Korea calls for use of force against South Korean ships: On February 15, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un called for the use of force against South Korean ships "invading territorial waters".
North Korea has long accused South Korea of violating its waters because Pyongyang does not recognize the current maritime border, known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), and claims a self-drawn line south of the NLL.
Mr. Kim accused South Korea of sending "various types of battleships to intrude into North Korean waters and seriously infringing on the country's sovereignty," saying the NLL is a "ghost" line without any legal basis. (Yonhap)
*Philippines committed to COC negotiations in the East Sea: On February 15, Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo affirmed that the country is committed to pursuing negotiations on a code of conduct (COC) between China and Southeast Asian countries to reduce confrontation in the East Sea.
Mr. Manalo said that tensions in the South China Sea should not be seen as an aspect of strategic competition between the United States and China. The Philippines and other countries have legitimate rights and interests that need to be protected. According to him, such a view would “not help in understanding the situation in the South China Sea correctly.”
The idea of a code of conduct has been in the works for more than two decades, but the parties only committed to starting negotiations in 2017. However, the negotiations have made little progress on substance. (Straits Times)
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*North Korean leader inspects new missile test launch: On February 15, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the country's leader Kim Jong-Un inspected the test launch of a new surface-to-sea missile and ordered tighter defense arrangements near the western sea border.
According to KCNA, Pyongyang test-fired a new missile called Padasuri-6 on February 14. The missile hit its target after flying over the sea east of the Korean Peninsula for about 1,400 seconds. Earlier, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on February 14 that North Korea had launched several cruise missiles off its east coast that morning.
This is the fifth time North Korea has launched a cruise missile since the beginning of the year. Pyongyang has conducted weapons tests including launching cruise missiles from sea and land, as well as firing artillery into waters near the inter-Korean maritime border in the west. (Yonhap)
Middle East – Africa
*Palestine says Israeli Prime Minister wants war for personal goals: According to Reuters on February 14, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of only caring about his personal political life. Mr. Maliki emphasized: "Mr. Netanyahu is determined to continue the war for his personal career, for his personal future and it is clear that he does not care about the fate and lives of innocent people, both in Israel and Palestine."
More than 28,000 people have been killed and 68,000 wounded in Gaza in Israel's retaliatory military campaign so far. The international community is increasingly concerned about the possibility of an Israeli ground offensive on the town of Rafah, the last refuge of more than a million Palestinians. (AFP)
*Israel warns it will attack the largest city in Gaza: On February 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country will continue to attack Hamas in Rafah, the last Palestinian refuge in southern Gaza, after allowing civilians to leave the area.
On his personal Telegram account, Mr. Netanyahu affirmed: “We will fight until complete victory and this includes strong action in Rafah, after we allow civilians to leave the war zone.”
Regarding the incident, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that an attack on the city of Rafah, where 1.3 million people are seeking refuge, would be a humanitarian disaster. (Reuters)
*US announces new sanctions package against Iran: On February 14, the US announced that it had imposed sanctions on a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), two companies based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a company based in Turkey and three individuals for smuggling US technology.
“The Central Bank of Iran has played a significant role in providing financial support to (the Quds Force - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and Hezbollah, two key actors intent on further destabilizing the Middle East,” explained Brian Nelson, undersecretary of the Treasury for counterterrorism and financial intelligence. (Reuters)
Europe
*Ukrainian President to visit Germany and France: The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on February 15 that Mr. Zelensky will visit Germany and France on February 16 and plans to speak at the Munich security conference on February 17.
According to the source, Mr. Zelensky planned to hold various bilateral meetings during these trips. (Sputnik News)
*Latvia and the UK are leading suppliers of UAVs to Ukraine: The Latvian Defense Ministry said on February 15 that the country will lead a coalition to supply unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine. In a statement, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds stressed that UAV technology has significantly changed the strategy and tactics of war.
UAVs also play an important role in Ukraine’s arsenal and are effective in reconnaissance and destruction of enemy forces. Latvia’s Defense Ministry said it wants to invest at least 10 million euros within a year to promote the UAV alliance to provide this type of weapon to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Britain also announced that it would provide thousands of additional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine as part of a £200 million UAV aid package. Speaking ahead of meetings with allies in Brussels and Munich this week, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps stressed: "The UK and Latvia will provide Ukraine with the capabilities it needs to defend itself and win. (Reuters)
*Moscow rejects US warning about deploying nuclear weapons: Russia on February 15 dismissed a US warning about the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in space, calling it a "malicious fabrication" and a White House ploy aimed at getting US lawmakers to approve more money to counter Moscow.
"It is obvious that the White House is trying, by hook or by crook, to encourage Congress to vote on the appropriation bill, this is obvious. We will see what tricks the White House will use," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Mr Peskov said he would not comment on the contents of the reports until the White House released details. But he said Washington’s warning was clearly an attempt to persuade Congress to approve more money to counter Russia. (TASS)
*President Putin said NATO is just a tool of Washington, commenting on US presidential candidate: In an interview on Rossiya-1 TV channel on February 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that NATO is currently just a tool in Washington's foreign policy.
“I think NATO is useless, useless. It has only one meaning – it is an instrument of American foreign policy,” Putin said.
Answering the question of which politician as the leader of the United States - Joe Biden or Donald Trump - would be better for Russia, President Putin explained: “Biden. He is more experienced, more predictable, he is a politician of the older generation.” Putin also affirmed that Moscow is ready to cooperate with any US president who has the trust of the people. (Sputnik News)
*Russia strengthens relations with countries in the Southern Hemisphere: Speaking at the Russian State Duma on February 14, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that efforts to isolate Moscow after the outbreak of war in Ukraine had failed and that the West's "short-sighted policy", in addition to creating new threats, had helped Russia strengthen relations with countries in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Russian Foreign Minister accused the West, led by the United States, of using the “Kiev regime” to achieve its goals, in addition to using “a vast arsenal of instruments of hybrid warfare” such as economic sanctions, diplomacy and even in spaces such as the media, culture and sports.
However, Lavrov said that the West's "collective hostility" had also opened up "new opportunities" to steer Russia's relations in "diverse geographical directions." (TASS)
*The majority of Germans do not want Ukraine to join the EU: The results of a public opinion survey conducted by the Bertelsmann Stiftung Foundation show that 52% of Germans do not support the initiative to admit Ukraine into the European Union (EU).
In addition, 69% of respondents also believe that rebuilding Ukraine will become an economic burden, 47% oppose providing weapons to Kiev. In addition, 64% of survey participants support the idea that Germany should continue to accept Ukrainian refugees.
More than half of respondents (59%) believe that sanctions against Russia are ineffective, while 22% believe otherwise. In the EU, about 60% of people support Ukraine joining the bloc. (DW)
*Major fire in central Moscow: In the center of the Russian capital Moscow, a major fire broke out at the Izvestia Hall building on Pushkin Square. The area of the fire is 1,500 square meters. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, three metal buildings in the courtyard area are on fire. The metal dome of one of them has collapsed. The fire is classified as the third level of complexity out of five levels.
The fire spread to neighboring buildings, engulfing the Residence bar and the Lookin Rooms nightclub, according to reports. Emergency services were at the scene. The building, which houses the Izvestia Hall concert hall, was built in 1925-1927 in the Avangar style with a row of large round windows on the top floor. (TASS)
America- Latin America
*Shooting in the US, 3 police officers injured: Three police officers were shot but their lives were not in danger when a suspect continued to open fire in a residential area in Southeast Washington DC. Meanwhile, many sources said that the 4th officer was slightly injured. After the shooting, the suspect barricaded himself in his house and continued to shoot after the police blocked off several neighborhoods, forcing some schools to close.
The incident comes as Washington DC is grappling with a surge in violent crime, with homicides and carjackings up 35% in 2023. The US now has 50% of adults owning guns, making it one of the top gun-using countries in the world. (AP)
*Russian Foreign Minister to visit Latin America: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit 3 Latin American countries from February 19. Mr. Lavrov's first stop is Cuba, followed by Venezuela and Brazil.
In Cuba, Lavrov will meet with President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez to discuss bilateral relations and global and regional issues. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the Russian foreign minister will meet with President Nicolás Maduro and his counterpart Yván Gil, then visit Brazil from February 21-22 to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Previously, Mr. Lavrov had a trip to Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela in April 2023. (Reuters)
*US considers sanctions against Venezuela from April: White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US will wait until April, when the oil and gas exploitation license expires, to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Venezuela.
Speaking to reporters on February 14, Mr. Sullivan emphasized that Washington's decision will depend on what Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro does between now and April to fulfill his commitment to hold "free and fair elections" this year.
Meanwhile, Venezuela arrested opposition activist Rocío San Miguel on February 9 as the military expert was traveling from Caracas to Miami. The White House expressed “deep concern” over the arrest. (Reuters)
*US pledges to maintain support for Ukraine: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on February 14 that the US will continue to support Ukraine, even as President Joe Biden's administration has run out of aid to Kiev and a request for additional funding for this operation is facing difficulties in the US House of Representatives, which is controlled by the Republican Party.
“The United States will continue to look for ways to support Ukraine in both the short and long term,” Mr. Austin stressed, but did not mention the $95.34 billion military aid package for Ukraine and other allies, which has yet to be approved by House Speaker Mike Johnson. (AFP)
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