Russia-Ukraine shoot down many UAVs, Poland receives more HIMARS

Russia gives reasons for placing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the ceasefire agreement in Sudan is on the brink of collapse... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Poland has just received two more HIMARS systems from the US. (Source: Wall Street Journal)

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

Russia-Ukraine

* Russia identifies Ukraine as behind Kremlin attack : On May 25, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had identified from the beginning that Ukraine was behind the drone attack on the Kremlin in early May. According to him, at that time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Kiev's responsibility, but "we immediately assumed that Kiev was behind this incident."

Previously, the New York Times (USA) cited sources from the US intelligence agency who did not know exactly who carried out the attack, but said that one of Ukraine's intelligence or military units could have staged the incident. (Reuters)

* Crimean air defense shoots down 6 UAVs : On May 25, writing on Telegram , the head of the Crimean government, Sergei Aksyonov, stated: “Overnight, 6 drones were shot down or intercepted... in different areas of Crimea.” The official also said that there were currently “no casualties.”

The incident came after Moscow deployed jets and artillery against an armed group that crossed the border from Ukraine, in the most serious attack on its territory since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022. Earlier on May 24, the governor of Russia's Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the area had been targeted by drones overnight. (AFP)

* Ukraine shoots down all Russian UAVs attacking Kiev: On May 25, Ukrainian officials announced that last night, Russian forces launched a new 12th wave of UAV attacks, lasting 3 hours, targeting Kiev. Mr. Serhiy Popko, head of military forces in Kiev, said: "It was a large-scale attack. The enemy continued to use the tactic of attacking in waves, with gaps between groups of attacking UAVs." However, Ukrainian air defense systems "destroyed all detected aerial targets moving towards Kiev." (AFP)

* Ukraine: Russian troops replace Wagner forces on the outskirts of Bakhmut : On May 25, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that Russia had replaced Wagner private military units with regular military forces on the outskirts of Bakhmut. However, Wagner members are still in the city.

The above statement of the Ukrainian official partly confirmed the announcement of Mr. Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner group, that the soldiers under his command had begun to withdraw from Bakhmut and hand over the bases to regular forces. (Reuters)

* US approves sale of NASAMS system to Ukraine : On May 24, the US announced that it had approved a $285 million deal to sell NASAMS air defense systems and related equipment to Ukraine. In a statement, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said: "Ukraine has an urgent need to enhance its defense capabilities against Russian missile and aircraft attacks... Acquiring and effectively deploying this system will help Ukraine improve its ability to protect its people and critical national infrastructure." The US State Department approved the deal, and the DSCA sent a required notification to Congress. (AFP)

US-China

* US: China bans Micron “not affecting bilateral relations”: On May 25, John Kirby, the White House National Security Council’s strategic communications coordinator, said that the Chinese government’s recent ban on US chipmaker Micron over security concerns was clearly an attempt to undermine the strong stance of the Group of Seven (G7) countries against economic coercion, just one day after the G7 issued its first statement on the issue.

The White House is in direct communication with the Chinese government, but the official said he hoped the incident would derail the White House’s efforts to achieve a more productive relationship with Beijing. Kirby said it was more important than ever to ensure that lines of communication were “more open,” and that efforts were continuing to pave the way for visits to China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The Pentagon is also arranging for a meeting between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June.

In addition, the two sides are also discussing the possibility of a meeting between US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting in Detroit, Michigan, this week. (VNA)

* China denies allegations of spying on US infrastructure : Speaking at a regular press conference on May 25, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said: "Relevant information from Western agencies is groundless." Previously, Western intelligence and Microsoft said that a group of hackers, believed to be sponsored by the Chinese government, was spying on important US infrastructure. (Reuters)

Southeast Asia

* US refuses to sell F-35 to Thailand : On May 25, Royal Thai Air Force spokesman Marshall Prapas Sornchaidee said that the sale of the fifth-generation fighter jets must comply with conditions including time, technical requirements and compatibility in maintenance, so the US cannot transfer the aircraft to Thailand. He also noted that the Thai Air Force will still replace the F-16 aircraft and the US is ready to provide upgraded F-15 and F-16 models so that the transfer can take place more quickly.

Last year, Thailand budgeted 13.8 billion baht (407.68 million USD) to buy new-generation fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of US-made F-5 and F-16 aircraft. Thailand has also aimed to buy eight US F-35A aircraft. (TTXVN)

Northeast Asia

* Korea-Japan resume talks on energy cooperation : On May 25, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea (MOTIE) announced that Korea and Japan held their first energy dialogue in six years at the port of Busan, Korea. The two sides shared the importance of cooperation to enhance energy security and achieve net zero emissions, and discussed the use of carbon-free energy sources such as nuclear power and hydrogen.

“Both countries rely heavily on energy imports and have similar energy consumption structures. Therefore, the two sides see the need to strengthen policy coordination and cooperation in this area,” a MOTIE official said. The two sides are expected to continue working-level talks in this area. (Yonhap)

Europe

* Russia places tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus because of the West : On May 25, TASS (Russia) quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as emphasizing: "In the context of extremely serious escalation of the threat on the western borders of Russia and Belarus, a decision has been made to take countermeasures in the military-nuclear sphere." Earlier the same day, he and his Belarusian counterpart signed a document on this issue. (Reuters/TASS)

* Russia summons German, Danish, Swedish ambassadors over Nord Stream : On May 25, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned the German, Swedish and Danish ambassadors to protest the "completely fruitless" investigation into the explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022.

Previously, on May 23, TASS quoted Bruno Kahl, Director of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), as saying that no intelligence agency can currently name the perpetrators of the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. (Reuters)

* EU suspends tariffs on Ukrainian goods for another year : On May 25, the European Council, a group of European Union (EU) governments, wrote on Twitter that at a meeting on the same day, EU trade ministers agreed to suspend restrictions on imports from Ukraine for another year.

The EU had previously lifted tariffs and other restrictions on goods from Ukraine for 12 months in June 2022. The suspension of all duties on imports from Ukraine had led to complaints from agricultural groups, culminating in Poland and Hungary banning imports of some Ukrainian grain in April. (Reuters)

* Poland receives more HIMARS from the US : On May 24, writing on Twitter , the country's Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak confirmed: "Two more M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and components of the Patriot/IBCS system have arrived in Poland. The transfer, which began last week, is intended to significantly strengthen Poland's air defense and missile artillery forces."

Previously, in 2019, Poland purchased the first 20 HIMARS systems worth $414 million from the US. In mid-March 2023, Minister Mariusz Blaszczak also said that the US Congress had approved Poland's order for 500 LLMs for another HIMARS, worth up to $10 billion. (Sputnik)

America

* The US has a new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff : On May 24 (local time), an anonymous US official revealed that President Joe Biden has chosen Air Force Chief of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. If approved by the Senate, he will be the second African-American officer to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after Mr. Colin Powell two decades ago. According to the above source, US President Joe Biden will officially announce his decision on May 25.

The official said the move had been long rumored. Brown is a former fighter pilot with extensive experience in the Pacific, an area that has seen growing tensions between the United States and China. (Reuters)

* US: Top China policy official to resign: Rick Waters, deputy assistant secretary of state for China and Taiwan and head of the China Affairs Department, announced his intention to resign during a staff meeting on May 24, four sources familiar with the matter said. However, Waters plans to remain at the State Department. The State Department and Waters did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the move. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* Iran unveils ballistic missile with 2,000 km range : On May 25, IRNA reported that the country has unveiled the fourth generation of the Khorramshahr ballistic missile, called Khaibar, with a range of 2,000 km and capable of carrying a 1.5 ton warhead. The Iranian news agency stated: "In a ceremony attended by the Defense Minister today, Iran unveiled its latest ballistic missile, which is also the latest product of the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) under the Defense Ministry." (Reuters)

* Ukraine announces promotion of foreign policy on Africa: On May 25, speaking in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the predecessor organization of the African Union (AU), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “We have recently adopted our first Africa strategy and intensified political dialogue with many countries on the continent. This year, we will establish new embassies in different regions and plan to hold the first Ukraine-Africa Summit. I invite the leaders of your countries to participate in this important event.”

“We want to develop a new quality partnership based on three common principles: mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual benefit,” he added. During his Africa tour, the diplomat called on “African friends” to end their neutrality on the conflict in Ukraine. (AFP)

* Sudan: Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire : On the evening of May 24, the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said the Sudanese Army “launched unacceptable attacks today”. The force also affirmed that it had “resolutely repelled these attacks”.

Meanwhile, on the morning of May 25, the Sudanese Army confirmed that it had “responded to an attack on RSF armored vehicles, a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.” Previously, the week-long ceasefire agreement, which began on May 22, was said to have been violated just minutes after it came into effect.

Residents of the capital Khartoum have reported air strikes and shelling rocking the city. Since then, ceasefire violations have continued. This is the latest in a series of ceasefires that have been systematically violated. (AFP)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-255-nga-ukraine-ban-ha-nhieu-uav-ba-lan-nhan-them-himars-228529.html