EU member issues "ultimatum" to Ukraine, US "plays big" in Poland, Israel sues NATO to expel Türkiye

Tensions between Slovakia and Ukraine over crude oil, the Middle East situation heating up with warnings of retaliation from both Israel and Iran, Venezuela's election, landslides in India... are some of the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.

Israel and Türkiye have exchanged words over the NATO member state's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's threat to send troops into the Middle Eastern country. (Source: Medyanews)

Europe

* Slovakia threatens to retaliate against Ukraine : On July 29, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico warned that if the transit of Russian crude oil through Ukraine does not continue in the next few days, the Slovnaft refinery in Slovakia's capital Bratislava will stop exporting diesel to Ukraine.

According to Mr. Fico, Ukraine's sanctions hurt both this country and Slovakia and Hungary, while Russia did not even feel the impact of this measure.

In response to this move, on July 30, Ukrainian Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak announced that Kiev was "ready to resolve issues that could cause trouble" once Slovakia activates the relevant mechanism in the EU association agreement. However, according to Mr. Andarak, Bratislava has not yet done so.

He also stressed that Kiev ensures uninterrupted oil transit for all companies that are not subject to Western and Ukrainian sanctions. (Reuters)

* Austria is keeping dialogue channels open with Russia because “we cannot simply burn all bridges,” Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said.

“We have channels of dialogue,” said Mr. Schallenberg. “I am one of the most active supporters of the existence of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). We must use this platform.”

According to Foreign Minister Schallenberg, Moscow is not ready for a serious dialogue at the moment, so it is important for Europe to discuss with India, China and Brazil, as these countries have more influence on Russia. (Sputnik)

* Russia-Belarus contribute to establishing a common energy market : On July 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree supporting the "Agreement on the formation of a common energy market of the Union State of Russia and Belarus".

The decree reads: “Accept the proposal of the Government of the Russian Federation to sign the agreement. Consider it appropriate to sign the agreement in accordance with the provisions of the present decree at the highest level.”

The common energy market is a strategic issue in relations between Moscow and Minsk. In the future, the project is planned to be synchronized with the operation of the common electricity market of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). (TASS)

* Russia summoned Czech Charge d'Affaires in Moscow Jan Ondrejka to protest against “attempts to smuggle hard drugs or psychotropic substances” by a Czech Embassy employee.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement stating that this plot "flagrantly violated Russian law", and at the same time requested the Czech side to strip the diplomatic immunity of the above-mentioned employee so that he could face criminal responsibility in Russia, or "must immediately leave Russian territory". (TASS)

* The US has transferred a series of heavy weapons to Poland from military bases in Germany, as part of a plan to strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s eastern flank. The delivery of this equipment will last until the end of September.

Specifically, 87 tanks, 150 infantry fighting vehicles and 18 self-propelled artillery units will be transferred to the base in Powidz, central Poland. (Radio Zet)

Asia-Pacific

* The solution will not come on the battlefield , only a return to dialogue and diplomacy can resolve the conflict, according to Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar at a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on the sidelines of the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

Speaking about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Foreign Minister Jaishankar stressed: “Over the past two years, this conflict has claimed many lives, caused economic damage and consequences globally, impacted other societies and contributed to global inflation."

Mr. Jaishankar also urged the countries involved to continue to make further efforts to resolve the conflict. (NDTV)

* North Korea has appointed ambassadors to Vietnam and Singapore after years of delays as Pyongyang closed its borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, Mr. Ri Sung-guk became the North Korean Ambassador to Vietnam, replacing his predecessor Kim Myong-gil, while Mr. Ri Kil-song became the Ambassador to Singapore. (KCNA)

* China and South Korea agreed to maintain communication to ensure supply chain stability and promote bilateral trade and investment during economic talks, according to a statement from the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

The ministry's director-general for bilateral economic affairs, Kim Jin-dong, met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Liping on July 29 and reached the agreement.

The two officials also discussed measures to promote regional economic cooperation, cultural exchanges and protection of intellectual property rights. (Yonhap)

* Landslides in India: On the morning of July 30, landslides occurred consecutively due to heavy rains in the mountainous areas of Kerala state, South India. Up to now, the number of victims killed in the landslides has reached at least 41 people, while more than 70 were injured.

Rescue efforts are being hampered by heavy rains and the collapse of the main bridge. Many people are feared to have been swept away by floodwaters in the Chaliyar River, while hundreds are feared trapped under mud, earth and debris.

Authorities have deployed soldiers to build temporary bridges after a bridge collapsed in Wayanad district, hampering rescue efforts. More than 200 soldiers have also been deployed to the area to assist local forces in search and rescue operations. (Indian Express)

Middle East-Africa

* Iran supports Hezbollah against Israel: On July 30, the Iranian President's Office said that President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian affirmed that Tehran will continue to support the Hezbollah movement and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group in their struggle against Israel.

President Pezeshkian stressed: "Iran's position in supporting the goal of liberating Jerusalem will not change when the new government comes to power. We will not leave our Palestinian brothers alone before Israel."

Meanwhile, on the same day, head of Iran's Strategic Council for Foreign Relations Kamal Kharazi warned that a backlash would occur if Israel attacked Lebanon. (IRNA)

* Lebanon seeks to prevent conflict with Israel: On July 30, Lebanese Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram said that Beirut is making every effort to avoid escalating the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah movement after a rocket attack that caused heavy casualties in the Golan Heights.

Minister Bayram also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using Lebanon “to show the Israelis that he is not turning his back on northern Israel and the Golan Heights." (Sputnik)

* Israel calls on NATO to expel Turkey after Ankara threatens to attack Israel. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Israel Katz has "instructed diplomats... to urgently work with NATO members, calling for condemnation of Turkey and requesting its expulsion from the alliance."

Earlier, on July 28, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to send troops into Israel to support the Palestinians. (Times of Israel)

* Iran-Syria pledge to further promote bilateral relations: On July 29, Iranian President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian and Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous held talks in the Iranian capital Tehran.

Mr. Pezeshkian assessed that the relationship between the two countries has always been “friendly and cordial,” noting that Tehran and Damascus are “friends in difficult times.”

The Iranian leader stressed the need to enhance economic, trade, cultural and social interactions to match the strong political ties between the two countries, and affirmed that Tehran is committed to accelerating the implementation of existing agreements to strengthen bilateral ties. (IRNA)

* Israel attacked an air defense base in the southern Syrian province of Daraa , bordering the truce line separating Syrian and Israeli forces in the Golan Heights, on the night of July 29. There were no casualties in the incident. (Aawsat)

America

* The US announced two "huge" arms aid packages for Ukraine with a total value of up to 1.7 billion USD.

The first package, worth $200 million, includes air defense interceptor missiles, ammunition for rocket and artillery systems, as well as anti-tank weapons from the US military's stockpile.

The second package worth $1.5 billion will support Kiev's air defense capabilities under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). (TASS)

* Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the opposition of plotting to “impose a coup” in the South American country, after the opposition rejected the results of the July 28 election, with Maduro re-elected for another six-year term, starting in January 2025.

Venezuela demanded that Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay “immediately withdraw their representatives from Venezuelan territory” due to “interfering actions and statements” related to the election.

Caracas has also asked all of its diplomatic officials at embassies in the seven countries to return home. (TASS)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-307-thanh-vien-eu-ra-toi-hau-thu-cho-ukraine-my-choi-lon-o-ba-lan-israel-kien-len-nato-doi-khai-tru-tho-nhi-ky-280696.html