Several Russian UAVs shot down in Kiev, Israel destroys key tunnel system

Mr. Zelensky said Russia is "slowing down", American newspaper commented on Hamas, Uzbekistan suddenly recalled the Russian Ambassador... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Ukrainian rescue workers arrive at the scene after debris from a Russian UAV damaged a high-rise building in Kiev. (Source: Rubryka)

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

* Ukraine shot down most of the Russian UAVs that attacked during the night : On December 22, the Ukrainian Air Force announced on its social media account that it had shot down 24 out of 28 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that attacked Kiev the night before. The Ukrainian government said the type of UAV used this time was the Shahed, made in Iran.

According to a statement from Ukraine, the attacks injured two civilians.

Earlier, on the night of December 21, air defense sirens sounded in the capital Kiev and residents of the city heard several loud explosions. Shortly afterwards, the head of the Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak said an apartment building had been hit, causing a fire on several upper floors, and that the Solomianskyi district of the capital Kiev had also suffered some other damage, but no casualties were reported. (AFP/Reuters)

* Ukrainian President : Russia's military activity is slowing down : On December 21, in his nightly online speech, Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky stated: "There is a separate report from the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (HUR). The plans of the opponent, the activities of the Russian defense industry. There are signs of a slowdown." (Reuters)

* New Polish Foreign Minister arrives in Kiev: On December 22, Ukrainian sources said that newly appointed Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski arrived in the capital Kiev on his first foreign visit.

A senior Ukrainian government official confirmed the visit after Mr Sikorski posted a photo, apparently from central Kiev, on social media.

At the same time, the Polish Foreign Minister announced: “First foreign visit; Already here”.

Mr. Sikorski is expected to meet with a number of Ukrainian officials, focusing on resolving the month-long blockade on the border between the two countries.

The visit signals Warsaw's commitment to support Kiev, after recent signs of strain under the previous ruling party. (AFP)

* US, Ukraine discuss enhancing Kiev's military capabilities : On December 21, Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier General Patrick Ryder announced that US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov had a phone call.

He said the two discussed “security assistance priorities” and the latest developments on the ground in Ukraine. According to the statement, the Pentagon chief “provided an update on the progress of the joint capabilities” established within the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG). They also discussed planning for future meetings of the contact group.

On the same day, the New York Times (USA) quoted US and European officials as saying that President Joe Biden's administration has initiated discussions with allies on using frozen Russian funds to aid Ukraine. The move comes at a time when the US Senate has still not been able to pass a new aid package for Kiev, while available funds are running out. (TASS)

* Israel criticizes UN for delay in delivering aid to Gaza Strip : On December 21, receiving French Senate President Gérard Larcher who is visiting the Jewish State, Israeli President Isaac Herzog affirmed: "Due to the complete failure of the United Nations (UN) to coordinate with other regional partners, they have not been able to bring more than 125 trucks carrying aid into Gaza every day." Previously, Israel opened the Kerem Shalom border crossing to speed up the approval of aid goods.

Meanwhile, the UN and Egypt explained that Israel's campaign made it too dangerous to regularly bring aid into the Gaza Strip. (Times of Israel)

* IDF destroys large tunnel in Gaza City : On December 21, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had destroyed a large network of Hamas tunnels under Palestine Square in Gaza City. The system connected to the homes, offices and hideouts of senior Hamas leaders, including military wing chief Muhammad Deif and Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' top official in Gaza. The system included living quarters, food and water stores, suggesting Hamas plans to hide in these locations for a long time. According to the IDF, this large network of tunnels was used by senior Hamas leaders when the force attacked southern Israel on October 7. (Times of Israel)

* Hamas : Israel's goal " will surely fail " : On December 21, the spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Mr. Abu Obeida, said that Israel's efforts over the past two months to destroy Hamas in Gaza "will surely fail". At the same time, in an audio recording, an official from the Hamas military wing emphasized that the release of more hostages depends on ceasefire efforts. (AFP)

* Hamas' influence in the Middle East has increased significantly : On December 21, CNN (USA) cited a US intelligence report stating that Hamas' power and influence "increased significantly" during the conflict.

Accordingly, this movement is showing its role as “a lone armed group fighting against” Israel’s actions, which are causing casualties to the Palestinian people. For many in the Middle East, Hamas has become “the defender of the Palestinian cause and an effective force in the effort to fight Israel”.

Regarding the vote on the resolution related to the Gaza Strip, diplomatic sources said that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has once again postponed the vote on the resolution calling for a halt to the Israel-Hamas conflict until December 22. Notably, the delay comes even though the United States, which opposed some proposals during the drafting of the resolution, said it was ready to support the resolution in its current form. (AFP/CNN/TASS)

* Jordan warns Israel of “catastrophic consequences” : On December 21, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Jordan to discuss with King Abdullah II the issue of medical and humanitarian aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip. This was the second meeting between the two leaders since the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out.

During the talks, King Abdullah II warned that continued Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip would have “catastrophic consequences” for the region. He also said the world needed to pressure Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza and remove obstacles to vital aid for the estimated 2 million Palestinians in the enclave, where hunger and disease are spreading rapidly.

In late October, President Emmanuel Macron visited the Middle East to show solidarity with Israel. However, France later changed its stance and called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Before arriving in Jordan, Mr. Macron stated that Israel's right to self-defense does not mean that it can "level Gaza". (Reuters/TTXVN)

Southeast Asia

* Chinese expert warns about US-Philippine relations: Recently, speaking at a closed-door meeting on China-Philippine relations, Mr. Wu Shicun, President of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Management, said that the Philippines may have underestimated China's capabilities in the East Sea. This analyst also warned that Manila's "unprecedented" security cooperation with Washington would pose risks not only to its relationship with China but also to the Philippines' own interests.

“A key prerequisite for stable future China-Philippine relations is that the US-Philippines security alliance and cooperation must not be directed at China,” the analyst noted. (SCMP)

Northeast Asia

* Japan eases arms export rules : Japan on December 22 eased strict rules on the transfer of defense equipment. This is the first major change in Japan's arms export system since 2014, when the country lifted the arms embargo maintained under its war-renouncing Constitution, coming amid an increasingly severe security environment due to tensions in relations with China, Russia and North Korea.

AFP assessed that this is a move for Tokyo to allow the sale of domestically produced Patriot missile defense systems to Washington. (AFP/Kyodo)

* IAEA : North Korea's second reactor is operational: On December 22, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) predicted that the second reactor at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility could be operational. Based on satellite images, the agency detected a large amount of warm water discharged from the reactor. Previously, the first nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, North Korea's main nuclear complex, was recorded as having a capacity of 5 megawatts and was the only known source of plutonium for the Northeast Asian country's weapons programs.

The second reactor is a light-water reactor. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi reiterated that “building and operating” a light-water nuclear reactor would be contrary to multiple UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea and was concerned because “a light-water nuclear reactor could produce plutonium in its non-radioactive fuel, which could be separated during reprocessing.” However, since being expelled by the North Korean government in 2009, the IAEA no longer has on-the-ground inspectors in the country and can only base its estimates on satellite imagery. (AFP)

Central Asia

* Uzbekistan summons Russian ambassador over this issue: On the evening of December 21, the Uzbekistan Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Russian Ambassador Oleg Malginov regarding a Russian politician's call to annex the former Soviet republic.

Earlier in the week, Russian nationalist writer Zakhar Prilepin, co-chairman of the Just Russia - For Truth party, argued that Russia should annex Uzbekistan and other countries with large numbers of citizens who come to Russia to work.

Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry said Tashkent was "deeply concerned" about the "provocative" comments. Ambassador Malginov, for his part, stressed that Prilepin's remarks had nothing to do with the Kremlin's official position. (Reuters)

Europe

* Russia: Britain cannot deploy warships in the Black Sea : On December 21, Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrey Kelin said that Britain's plan to establish a maritime alliance to support Ukraine in the Black Sea will not seriously affect the regional situation.

“It is an unclear issue. It is assumed that it is related to the issue of security guarantees that Kiev is currently discussing with a number of countries. Obviously, these guarantees are mostly on paper and not in reality. Even (Ukrainian President) Zelensky admitted … earlier this week that there is no military element to it,” the diplomat stressed. He said that even if London decided to deploy warships in the Black Sea, they would not be able to enter it, due to the Montreux Convention on the Straits Regime and Turkey’s commitment to it.

The Russian official also noted that Britain had tried to form a tank alliance and an aviation alliance for Ukraine, but to no avail. (TASS)

* Hungary continues to 'pour cold water' on Ukraine's possibility of joining the EU : On December 21, speaking on HIRTV television, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he tried to convince his European colleagues at the recent summit in Brussels that "not only is Ukraine not ready to become a member, but the European Union (EU) is also not ready". However, the leaders of the member states ignored this advice and decided to proceed with accession negotiations with the Kiev government, which Mr. Orban described as a "reckless plan".

In Orban's view, Ukraine does not meet the criteria for EU membership at this time. On the other hand, the EU does not have the reserve funds that it would need if Ukraine joined. The leader said the EU cannot afford to provide long-term financial support to Ukraine from its own budget and must reserve funds for several years to come. That is why Hungary did not support the amendment to the EU budget for 2024-2027, which allocates 50 billion euros for long-term financial support to Ukraine. "The decision on 50 billion euros will be made at a time when no one knows what the front lines will look like in two months," he said. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* South Korea promotes military cooperation with the Middle East : On December 22, the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Korean Army announced that General Park An Su made a week-long trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar to expand military and defense industry cooperation. According to the announcement, General Park An Su arrived in the UAE on December 16 for a four-day visit and arrived in Qatar on December 19 for the second leg.

During the visit, Park An-su met with and encouraged South Korean troops in the country. He also met with Major General Saeed Rashid Al Shehhi, Commander of the UAE Army, to discuss ways to expand joint exercises and personnel exchanges between the two militaries. On December 19, Park An-su held talks with Qatari Army Commander Major General Saeed Hussain Al Khayarin to exchange views on strengthening bilateral military ties and defense industry cooperation. (Yonhap)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-2212-nhieu-uav-nga-bi-ban-ha-o-kiev-israel-pha-huy-he-thong-duong-ham-then-chot-254887.html