Russia announces the establishment of two large armies, denouncing France's calculations; Germany does not need a nuclear arsenal; Japan-Canada will join AUKUS

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable international events in the past 24 hours.

Russian soldiers take part in the Victory Day parade on May 9, 2023. Russia has just announced that it will create two more armies. (Source: Reuters)

Russia-Ukraine

* Russia will form two new armies: On March 20, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that his country's soldiers were pushing back Ukrainian forces, causing the US and its satellite countries to "be extremely concerned about the success of the Russian Armed Forces".

In addition, he said, Russia has recruited hundreds of thousands of contract soldiers and will form two new armies and 30 new units, including 14 divisions and 16 brigades. (Reuters)

* Russia accuses France of planning to send troops to Ukraine, Paris speaks out: On March 19, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin revealed that Moscow has information that France is preparing to send a contingent of troops to Ukraine, with about 2,000 soldiers in the initial phase.

The SVR chief stressed that any French servicemen sent to Ukraine to help fight against Russia would be a priority target for the Russian military.

However, on social network X , the French Ministry of Defense denied the above information. (TASS, Sputnik)

* The US is concerned about “Ukraine's survival” at this stage, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Mr Austin pledged that the US would "not let Ukraine fail" and was "absolutely determined to maintain security assistance and ammunition" to Kiev, calling it a "matter of honor and security" for Washington.

However, he did not reveal how Washington would support Ukraine without additional funding, while the $60 billion aid package is still stalled in the US House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed "shock" that Washington had not yet approved the aid package, as Kiev struggles with a shortage of weapons supplies. (Reuters)

* The EU will provide Ukraine with 500,000 artillery shells by the end of March and ensure the priority target is to provide Kiev with 1 million artillery shells this year, according to Peter Stano - spokesman for the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

According to Mr. Stano, High Representative Borrell also noted that any member state that wants to buy ammunition outside the EU to supply Ukraine can be reimbursed from the European Peace Fund. (DC News)

* Russia will evacuate about 9,000 children from the border area with Ukraine, as the area is under constant shelling from Ukraine. Children will be moved further east, away from the border with Ukraine.

The above information was confirmed by Governor of Russia's Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country will ensure security for the border area, which is frequently shelled by Ukraine. (Reuters)

Europe

* Germany does not need its own nuclear arsenal , according to the country's Chancellor Olaf Scholz on March 19, when commenting on the proposal that Berlin, together with its European Union (EU) partners, should reduce its dependence on the US "protective umbrella".

Chancellor Scholz stressed that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) remains the cornerstone of European security and that despite some political differences with the United States, the transatlantic relationship remains strong and necessary.

“There is no reason to challenge very valuable elements, which are NATO and transatlantic cooperation,” he said. (Anadolu)

* Polish farmers staged massive protests across the country on March 20. RMF24 reported that protesters warned of road blockades in more than 500 residential areas - agricultural machinery would appear on streets and highways.

Farmers have also announced that they will block about 10 key highways leading to the capital Warsaw. A total of 580 protests have been announced, with at least 70,000 farmers expected to take part.

* The EU has reached an agreement to extend duty-free imports of agricultural products from Ukraine until June 2025, according to a statement from the European Parliament on March 19.

European Parliament negotiators agreed to add oats, corn, cereals and honey to the list of emergency tariffs, but kept the limit at the average import volume of 2022 and 2023.

The European Parliament has assured the EC that it will act within 14 days, instead of the 21 days originally proposed, if imports from Ukraine reach the limit.

The EC also pledged to monitor wheat and other grain imports from Ukraine and take action if they disrupt EU markets. (Reuters)

* Russia conducts comprehensive naval drills, including live-fire drills, in Peter the Great Bay and the Sea of ​​Japan.

The Russian Pacific Fleet press release said that the ship detachment, including the Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, the corvettes Gromky and Sovershenny, repelled simulated attacks by unmanned boats and drones.

The time of the exercise is not yet clear.

Peter the Great Bay is the largest bay of the Sea of ​​Japan, located between Russia and Japan. (Interfax)

* Switzerland opens new embassy in Ethiopia: On March 19, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Taye Atske-Selassie assessed that Switzerland's decision to open a new embassy in the capital Addis Ababa shows Bern's determination to strengthen relations with the African country.

Speaking after the groundbreaking ceremony for the new embassy headquarters with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis, Mr. Atske-Selassie affirmed that the Ethiopian government highly values ​​the bilateral relationship with the Central European country.

For his part, Mr. Cassis stated that the project to build a new headquarters for the Swiss Embassy underlines the importance of Ethiopia in Bern's Africa policy. (Prensa Latina)

Korean Peninsula

* North Korea successfully tested a multi-stage solid-fuel engine for a medium-range hypersonic missile at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on the morning and afternoon of March 19, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on March 20. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised the test.

KCNA said the success of the test set a roadmap for completing the development of North Korea's new generation of medium-range hypersonic missile weapons system.

* The United States urged North Korea to return to the path of diplomacy , particularly encouraging Pyongyang to engage in substantive discussions on determining how to manage military risks and build lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)

* South Korea and the US conducted a joint exercise across the Imjin River in the border city of Pajuy, near North Korea, from March 11 to enhance interoperability between soldiers on both sides.

About 470 troops from the Republic of Korea Army's 5th Armored Brigade and an engineer battalion from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division/U.S.-ROK Combined Division participated in the two-week exercise.

About 65 pieces of equipment, CH-47D Chinook helicopters, AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, K1E1 tanks and short-range surface-to-air missiles were mobilized for the exercise. (Yonhap)

Asia-Pacific

* Japan and Canada may join the second pillar of the US-UK-Australia (AUKUS) defense partnership in late 2024 or early 2025, to avoid the risk that if Donald Trump wins the US presidential election, the countries may return to isolationist policies, leading to the collapse of AUKUS.

The AUKUS partnership, announced in September 2021, has two pillars. The first involves establishing an Australian nuclear submarine fleet using US and UK technology.

The second pillar involves developing a range of technologies, including underwater robotics, quantum electronics, cybersecurity and electronic warfare capabilities, hypersonic weapons and defenses against them. (Politico)

* Australia is ready to cooperate with China for mutual benefit: On March 20, during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the two countries should not let differences and disagreements affect the bilateral relationship.

Mr Albanese was pleased to see that over the past two years, Australia-China relations have returned to the right track and Canberra is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with Beijing and strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas.

The Australian leader stressed that Canberra has always and will adhere to the "One China" policy.

China is willing to work with Australia to promote high-level exchanges and enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas, Wang said, calling on both sides to make efforts to manage and overcome differences in the spirit of respect, and jointly promote the building of more mature, stable and effective relations. (THX)

* Thailand signs strategic partnership agreement with UK: This is the first agreement between Thailand and a European country to boost trade and attract more foreign investment to Southeast Asia's second largest economy.

The agreement was signed in Bangkok during a visit to Thailand by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* Israel will send a delegation to the US: According to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office on March 20, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi will travel to Washington to meet with US officials.

The White House said the visit is likely to take place early next week.

Meanwhile, a US defense official said that next week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Galant will also meet in Washington to discuss a range of issues, including efforts to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas, the need to increase humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians and a plan to ensure the safety of more than 1 million people in the city of Rafah. (AFP)

* Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel of sabotaging ceasefire talks, after its army raided Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza, on March 18, killing dozens of Palestinian militants and detaining hundreds more. (MEM)

* IAEA-Syria restarted nuclear energy negotiations, when Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi arrived in the capital Damascus on March 19.

In a statement on the X network, Director General Grossi said he had held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad.

“We stand ready to restart high-level dialogue between the IAEA and Syria, focused on building confidence in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in Syria,” he wrote. (Reuters)

* EU grants €166 million to support Benin's development: The funding aims to support the Benin government's actions within the framework of a programme covering the areas of water and sanitation, resilience building, entrepreneurship, security, professional training and energy. (Europawire)

America

* Mexico protests new US immigration law: On the afternoon of March 19, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) spoke out against the US Supreme Court's approval of Texas' SB4 draft law, which allows authorities to arrest illegal immigrants at the border between the two countries.

On social network X, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena criticized the draft law SB4, which aims to prevent the flow of migrants, criminalizing immigration through detention, causing many families to be separated, violating the human rights of migrant communities.

Foreign Minister Bárcena stated that, as head of Mexico's foreign affairs, she affirmed the principle of always considering the protection and assistance of migrants as the government's highest priority, and at the same time stated that the entry into force of SB4 would harm Mexico-US relations. (Anadolu)

* The US Air Force has successfully tested an air-launched hypersonic weapon in the Pacific Ocean. The test was conducted on March 17 after a B-52 bomber took off from Guam carrying the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), according to a statement.

Despite claiming success, the US Air Force did not provide further information about the speed of the hypersonic weapon that was just tested. (Reuters)

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