Russian-US intelligence talks on the phone, Moscow denies Wagner wants to seize nuclear weapons, Malaysia calls for ASEAN solidarity

The US provides long-range missiles to Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Minister meets the Chinese delegation in Indonesia, a North Korean missile flies for 74 minutes, setting a new record, the US-Japan-Korea condemn... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

ATACMS tactical missiles that the US will provide to Ukraine. (Source: The New Voice of Ukraine)

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

Europe

*Russia claims Ukraine suffered heavy losses in counterattack : At a press conference on July 12, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported “significant losses” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the counterattack. According to Mr. Shoigu, the Russian army destroyed 17 Leopard battle tanks, 5 AMX wheeled tanks and 12 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles that Western countries provided to Ukraine.

The head of the Russian Defense Ministry stressed that the losses of the VSU amounted to "1,244 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles." According to Mr. Shoigu, these figures indicate that the VSU counterattack caused them significant losses. Mr. Shoigu also cited statistics, according to which, since June 4, the VSU has lost up to 26,000 soldiers and 3,000 units of various weapons. These figures show the complexity of the situation for the Ukrainian army. (TASS)

* Russian and US intelligence officials talk by phone: TASS news agency reported that on July 12, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin said he had a phone call with the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns at the end of June to discuss "what to do with Ukraine".

Mr Burns and Mr Naryshkin have maintained lines of communication since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine at a time when other direct contacts between the two countries were at a minimum, with bilateral relations at their lowest point since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. TASS quoted Mr Naryshkin as saying - it is possible that the two Russian and US officials will meet face to face . (AFP)

* The US will provide long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine : The New York Times quoted sources from US and European officials saying that the US government continues to discuss the possibility of transferring long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. The Pentagon explained that the US has a relatively small ATACMS arsenal, so transferring them to Ukraine could jeopardize combat readiness in other areas.

ATACMS is a long-range guided missile developed by Lockheed Martin. It can also be fired from multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) such as the M270 and M142 HIMARS, which Ukraine has. The latest versions of the missile can hit targets up to 310 kilometers away with an accuracy of 1 meter. Lockheed Martin says that about 4,000 ATACMS missiles have been fired since the 1980s. (New York Times)

* Russia releases video of capturing US M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle: On July 12, a Russian military website released a video of its soldiers capturing a US-made M2 ​​Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (BMP) abandoned by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) in the Zaporizhzhia direction.

According to sources, the US combat vehicle was undamaged and was captured by the Russian military in an intact condition. In the video posted, Russian soldiers captured the BMP in an abandoned area. It is still unclear why the VSU abandoned the combat vehicle.

The BMP M2 Bradley is an American-made infantry fighting vehicle that is actively used by the US Army. This type of vehicle is fully equipped with modern weapons and electronic equipment. (TASS)

* Kremlin denies Wagner wanted to seize nuclear equipment : The Kremlin on July 12 denied the assertion of Ukrainian military intelligence that members of the Russian mercenary group Wagner intended to seize nuclear equipment during a failed coup last June.

On July 11, Reuters reported that Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said Wagner fighters had arrived at a nuclear base - known as Voronezh-45 - in an attempt to retrieve Soviet-era small nuclear devices.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that there was no such information. Mr. Peskov asserted that the Ukrainian statement was akin to disinformation.

On the same day, the Kremlin criticized the West's security guarantees for Ukraine as wrong and "potentially very dangerous", saying this would violate Russia's own security. (Reuters)

* Germany wants clear China strategy: The German cabinet announced on July 13 that it would adopt a China strategy as promised after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government requested a review of how Germany interacts with its largest trading partner last year.

According to two government sources revealed to Reuters , Mr. Scholz has repeatedly emphasized “de-risking” Germany’s relationship with China, which Berlin sees as an increasingly assertive strategic rival and competitor, so gradually reducing dependence on the country rather than “decoupling” from the Chinese market.

Adoption of the strategy was delayed for several months due to policy disagreements within the three-party ruling coalition, with the Greens, which control the foreign and economy ministries, favoring even more limited economic ties.

Among the changes being considered are export controls, as well as screening of investment projects by German companies doing business in China to protect know-how and sensitive technologies. (DW)

Asia-Pacific

* South Korea, US, Japan condemn North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launch: On July 12, the South Korean military announced that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), General Kim Seung-kyum, and his US and Japanese counterparts, General Mark Milley and General Yoshihide Yoshida, respectively, condemned North Korea's latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch and stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation during talks in Hawaii on July 11.

The three officials condemned North Korea's actions, which underscored the importance of trilateral engagement in the face of the threat from Pyongyang, the JCS said in a press release. The talks coincided with North Korea's latest missile launch, the JCS said. "The South Korea-U.S. and U.S.-Japan alliances are essential to maintaining peace and stability in the region and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region ," the statement added. (Yonhap)

* Russian Foreign Minister meets Chinese delegation in Indonesia: On July 12, TASS quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry's announcement that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of China Wang Yi on the sidelines of a regional summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

"A meeting between Russia and ASEAN and a series of bilateral meetings are planned in Indonesia, including a meeting with Chinese officials and Wang Yi in Jakarta," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. (Reuters)

* China opposes British government's "discriminatory actions": The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom said on July 12 that Beijing firmly opposes what it called the British government's "discriminatory actions" against Chinese companies.

"We strongly urge the British side to stop the unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises and provide them with a fair, equal and non-discriminatory business environment," the Chinese embassy said.

The Chinese foreign ministry made the remarks in response to media reports that the British government had blocked eight Chinese-linked investment deals in British companies under the National Security and Investment Act over the past year. (Reuters)

* The Forward Party claims that the Thai Election Commission abused its power : In a statement released on July 12, the Forward Party (MFP) said that the Thai Election Commission (EC) had "abused its power" when it decided to submit a petition to the Constitutional Court recommending the disqualification of prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat.

The statement stressed that the Election Commission's argument that there was sufficient evidence that Mr. Pita violated the regulations for candidates for the House of Representatives, while failing to notify and allow Mr. Pita the right to explain, was an "abuse of power" as stipulated in the Criminal Code.

For his part, Mr. Pita affirmed that the EC's failure to issue any notice and allow him to defend himself was "unfair" and "a bit hasty", especially in the context that the above decision was made only one day before the vote to elect the Prime Minister.

Earlier in the day, the EC said it had sufficient evidence that Pita owned shares in the media company iTV when he ran for a seat in the House of Representatives, while Thai law prohibits any individual who owns shares in a media company from running for a seat in the House of Representatives. The EC sent a recommendation and urged the Constitutional Court to temporarily suspend Pita's status as a member of parliament until the court makes a final decision . (Bangkok Post)

* Malaysia calls on ASEAN to unite to maintain peace in the East Sea : On July 12, Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to unite to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea, saying that ASEAN needs to show a strong commitment to resolving maritime disputes that are causing pain in this sea area.

“We need to reaffirm our commitment. We need to bring everyone together to show that we are united,” Kadir told reporters after a meeting within the framework of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings in Jakarta.

Mr. Kadir said the East Sea issue was also discussed at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Baku (Azerbaijan) on July 5, and Malaysia wanted to persuade NAM to participate in efforts to maintain stability at sea. (Straight Times)

* Thai Foreign Minister meets Aung San Suu Kyi : Indonesia's Antara news agency reported that on July 9, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai confirmed that he met with leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is being exiled and imprisoned by the Myanmar military government.

This is the first confirmed meeting between Ms Suu Kyi and a senior foreign official since the military coup that ousted Myanmar's elected government.

Thailand has pursued its own approach to resolving the crisis in Myanmar, inviting representatives of the junta to three meetings since last year. Bangkok invited all ASEAN foreign ministers to the most recent meeting in June, but only Laos and Myanmar’s military government attended.

Mr. Pramudwinai affirmed that all three meetings initiated by Thailand fully complied with the 5-point Consensus (PC) agreed by ASEAN leaders in April 2021, which called for an immediate end to violence; holding dialogue between the parties; appointing a special envoy; allowing humanitarian assistance from ASEAN; and allowing the ASEAN Special Envoy to visit Myanmar to meet with the parties . (Antara)

* North Korean missile flies for 74 minutes, setting a new record: Asahi TV quoted a Japanese defense official as saying that the ballistic missile that North Korea just launched flew for 74 minutes, the longest ever.

Meanwhile, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also confirmed this information and added that the North Korean missile reached an altitude of over 6,000 km.

The information said: "The missile's flight time lasted about 74 minutes. At 11:13 (8:13 Hanoi time), the missile fell into the Sea of ​​Japan outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), about 250 km west of Okushiri Island in Hokkaido." (Reuters)

Middle East - Africa

* Iran summons Russian ambassador over statement on 3 disputed islands : Iran's state media said on July 12 that Iran summoned the Russian ambassador over a joint statement by Moscow and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on 3 disputed islands claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On July 10, Russia and the GCC issued a joint statement in which the foreign ministers expressed support for the UAE's initiative to reach a peaceful solution to the three-island issue through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the statement as contrary to friendly relations between Iran and its neighbors, adding that "the three islands forever belong to Iran".

The islands of Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunb are claimed by both countries but have been under Iranian control since 1971, shortly before the seven Gulf emirates gained full independence from Britain and formed the UAE, now an ally of Washington . (AP)

America

* Russian naval training ship Perekop visits Cuba: Russian naval training ship Perekop with 398 crew members docked at Havana port on July 11. Cuba welcomed the Perekop with a 21-gun salute from the San Carlos de la Cabaña fortress at the mouth of Havana Bay.

The Russian Embassy in Cuba said the visit will include meetings with officials of the Cuban Navy, the Havana city government, and visits to historical sites. The head of the Cuban Navy, Rear Admiral Carlos Alfonso Duque Ramos, and Havana Governor Yanet Hernández are expected to receive the delegation.

According to the plan, the Perekop ship, 138 m long, 16.2 m wide and 6.5 m high, will anchor in Havana Bay until July 14 and open to the public for two days, July 12 and 13. (TTXVN)

* Cuban President speaks out about the presence of US nuclear submarines: Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on July 11 denied the illegal presence of the US and its nuclear submarines in Cuba's easternmost province of Guantánamo.

Mr. Díaz-Canel pointed out that the United States not only illegally violated part of Cuban territory in Guantánamo but also increased outrage with the presence of a nuclear submarine there.

On the same day, the Cuban Foreign Ministry accused the US of allowing a nuclear-powered submarine to enter the naval base in Guantánamo Bay from July 5 to 8, describing it as a provocative escalation.

For its part, the US asserted that it has the right to move assets to its military base in Guantánamo. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stressed that the country “will continue to fly, navigate and move military assets as international law allows.” (VNA)

* Bombing of an official vehicle in Mexico causes many casualties : On the evening of July 11, a 16-seat car owned by the National Prosecutor's Office in the city of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco state, Mexico was attacked by a bomb, killing 3 police officers and injuring more than 10 others.

According to local authorities, the vehicle carrying the law enforcement forces was attacked while traveling to a crime scene in the city of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga to conduct a crime scene investigation. The injured included two children who were walking on the side of the road.

Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro strongly condemned the perpetrators, considering this not only a challenge from the perpetrators to Jalisco state, but also to the entire country of Mexico.

The incident brought the total number of police officers killed in Mexico since the beginning of 2023 to 17, including three female police officers.

Previously, on June 28, unidentified gunmen shot dead three police officers in Celaya city, Guanajuato state, central Mexico. (TTXVN)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-127-tinh-bao-nga-my-dien-dam-moscow-bac-tin-wagner-muon-chiem-vu-khi-hat-nhan-malaysia-keu-goi-asean-doan-ket-234355.html