Russia-Ukraine take biggest action in 2 years of conflict, China fires back at US-Philippines; day of mourning in Iran

New developments surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US-South Korea-Japan moves on the Korean Peninsula, China's comments on the US-Philippines actions in the East Sea, the bloody terrorist attack in Iran... are some of the notable international events in the past 24 hours.

The scene of the terrorist attack in Iran that killed more than 100 people on January 3. (Source: AFP)

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

* Russia and Ukraine conduct prisoner exchange: This is the 49th prisoner exchange and the largest since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in February 2022.

Under a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war and 248 Russian soldiers have been released and returned home in the first exchange in nearly five months.

Russian officials have not provided any other information about the exchange. (The Moscow Times)

* Russia puts new T-80BVM tanks into military campaign: On January 4, a Russian tank unit commander said that for the first time since Moscow began its military campaign, upgraded T-80BVM tanks have been transferred to military units in the Zaporizhzhia direction.

According to the commander, the tank has a series of new and improved features to enhance its combat capabilities. In particular, the new communication system provides reliable signals at a distance of up to 10 km.

Additional armor modules have been installed on the tank, making it able to withstand attacks from drones and anti-tank missiles. (Pravda)

* Ukraine is seriously short of anti-aircraft ammunition, enough to withstand "a few more major attacks," according to the commander of the country's joint forces Sergiy Nayev.

The commander of mobile air defense units in Kiev and the northern region of Ukraine stressed that in the medium and long term, Kiev needs help from Western countries to replenish its missile arsenal.

General Nayev also said that the country wants more Patriot missiles and these air defense systems. (AFP)

* Germany is delivering three more Gepard anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine as part of its latest military aid to the Eastern European country.

The German Defense Ministry said future aid would continue to focus on the “functional and well-equipped” Ukrainian Armed Forces, bolstering air defenses, artillery, armored fighting vehicles and ammunition. (The Defense Post)

Europe

* Russia grants citizenship to foreigners serving in the armed forces , according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on January 4.

Accordingly, foreign citizens who have signed a military service contract to serve in the Russian armed forces or military units in special military operations or are serving in the Russian armed forces or military units in special military operations have the right to register... Russian citizenship".

Similar rights, as per the decree, will be granted to foreign citizens who were demobilized from the Russian armed forces during a special military operation, their spouses and children. (Sputnik)

* Ukraine will discuss air defense with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on January 10, according to NATO spokesman Dylan White.

The meeting was convened by the NATO Secretary General at the ambassadorial level at the request of Kiev, following recent Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.

NATO allies have "delivered a range of air defense systems to Ukraine and are committed to further strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities," White added. (TASS)

* Polish farmers continued to protest at the Ukrainian border on January 4 and blocked the Medyka border crossing with Ukraine, aiming to secure government subsidies for corn and prevent tax increases.

Polish farmers had earlier stopped their protests on December 24 after meeting with Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski.

Polish media quoted protest leader Roman Kondrow as saying that farmers were satisfied with the outcome of the meeting with the agriculture minister and local leaders, but wanted a formal agreement. (Reuters)

* NATO supports Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain to buy 1,000 Patriot air defense missiles, worth an estimated more than 5 billion USD.

NATO has awarded a production and delivery contract to COMLOG, a joint venture between US defence giant Raytheon and European missile maker MBDA, which will expand missile production in Europe. (Reuters)

* Several European countries agree to study the Green Hydrogen Corridor project: European gas transmission system operators Gasgrid Finland (Finland), Elering (Estonia), Conexus Baltic Grid (Latvia), Amber Grid (Lithuania), GAZ-SYSTEM (Poland) and ONTRAS (Germany) announced that they will participate in the international project to conduct a pre-feasibility study on the Nordic-Baltic Green Hydrogen Corridor.

AFRY Management Consulting, the winning bidder, will analyze the conditions for developing cross-border hydrogen infrastructure from Finland, through the Baltic States and Poland to Germany, as well as green hydrogen trends in the region.

This study will provide a comprehensive, evidence-based framework to enable optimal decision making, and is expected to be completed in six months, by mid-2024.

The aim of the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor project is to create a connection between green energy production regions in Northern Europe and major consumption centers in Central Europe. (Delfi)

Asia

* Kuwait has a new prime minister: On January 4, Kuwaiti King Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah appointed Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah as the country's prime minister.

According to Reuters, the change in leadership will not affect Kuwait's foreign policies, including continuing to support the Gulf Arab bloc, maintaining alliances with the West and prioritizing relations with Saudi Arabia.

In addition, the OPEC member state is likely to expand ties with China, especially as Beijing is sponsoring a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

* US-South Korea-Japan hold first Indo-Pacific dialogue: On January 5, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won will travel to Washington to attend the first trilateral dialogue on the Indo-Pacific with his US and Japanese counterparts - Daniel Kritenbrink and Yasuhiro Kobe, respectively.

The U.S. and Japanese counterparts will discuss ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation in the region, focusing on partnerships with Southeast Asia and Pacific island nations. (Yonhap)

* South Korea and the US held live-fire drills near the border with North Korea from December 29 to January 5.

The South Korean Capital Mechanized Infantry Division and the Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the US 2nd Infantry Division were mobilized to participate in the exercise in the border city of Pocheon, 46 km northeast of the capital Seoul.

The South Korean Army said the first joint training of the year by the South Korea-US alliance is aimed at enhancing combined operations capabilities to counter military actions from North Korea. (Yonhap)

East Sea

* China responds to US-Philippines drills in the South China Sea: On January 3, the US announced that an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson conducted a two-day exercise with the Philippine Navy "to strengthen relations between allied and partner nations".

In response to this move, the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) emphasized that they had "deployed naval and air forces to conduct regular patrols" in the East Sea from January 3-4.

In addition, China has criticized the US-Philippines military exercise, calling it a "provocative" move.

Speaking at a regular press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: "We call on relevant countries to stop irresponsible actions and seriously respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea." (AFP)

Middle East

* US Secretary of State prepares to visit the Middle East: On January 3, an anonymous senior US official said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart for a tour of the Middle East on the night of January 4, with "stops in several capitals, including the capital of Israel".

US diplomatic envoy Amos Hochstein will also travel to Israel to try to ease tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. (Reuters)

* Red Sea situation: On the afternoon of January 3 (New York time), at the United Nations headquarters, the Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the consecutive attacks by Houthi gunmen in the Red Sea.

Also on this day, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said he will present to member states in the bloc a proposal to establish a mission to contribute to ensuring security in the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, Germany is discussing with the EU the creation of a maritime mission in the Red Sea and is evaluating all possible options under international law and the national constitution.

For its part, Britain said attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes must stop or face international action. (Reuters)

* The withdrawal from Gaza does not mean the end of the conflict, according to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Earlier, on January 2, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari announced that the country's army remained in a state of high combat readiness in all areas, in the context that the army said it was withdrawing two brigades from Gaza and three more brigades would be withdrawn in the future.

* Bloody terrorism in Iran: By January 4, two explosions at the memorial site of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in the city of Kerman had killed 103 people and injured about 211.

Iran said this was a terrorist attack and that the perpetrators and those behind it would pay the price.

The United Nations, the European Union (EU), Vietnam, Russia, China and many countries have expressed condolences to the Iranian government and people and condemned the attack.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-41-nga-ukraine-co-hanh-dong-lon-nhat-trong-2-nam-xung-dot-trung-quoc-phan-phao-my-philippines-ngay-tang-thuong-o-iran-256248.html