China criticized Washington's "zero-sum" thinking, Australia protested China's actions in the East Sea, NATO was surprised by the US's change in policy on the Ukraine issue, India accused Pakistan of violating the ceasefire... are some of the outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.
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| US President Donald Trump revealed that he will soon meet Russian President Putin in Saudi Arabia. (Source: Sputnik) |
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.
Asia-Pacific
*India accuses Pakistan of violating ceasefire: Indian media reported on February 12 that the Pakistani army violated the ceasefire by attacking Indian checkpoints along the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region between the two countries.
The Indian side responded fiercely, causing serious casualties to Pakistani forces. Although the exact extent of the damage has not been confirmed, sources said that the Pakistani army suffered “heavy casualties”. The Indian army has not made an official statement on this information.
Ceasefire violations have been rare since India and Pakistan extended the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021. (India Today)
*China criticizes US “zero-sum” thinking: Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman He Yongqian on February 13 called on the US to abandon its “zero-sum” thinking, correct its mistakes, return to the right path of the multilateral trading system, and work with other countries to resolve their respective concerns through consultations on an equal footing.
The statement was made at a regular press conference in response to a question about Washington's decision to increase tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 25%. (THX)
*India to sell Akash air defence missiles to Philippines: Indian sources said the country expects to sell short-range Akash missiles to the Philippines this year in a deal worth over $200 million.
If this becomes a reality, it will be the second largest defense export contract to the Philippines.
The Akash surface-to-air missile system, which has a range of up to 25 km, was exported to Armenia last year in a $230 million deal. Earlier, India sold the BrahMos medium-range supersonic cruise missile to the Philippines in a $375 million deal in 2022. (Reuters)
*Australia protests China's actions in the East Sea: Australia on February 13 raised concerns with China about what it called "unsafe and unprofessional" actions by a Chinese fighter jet against an Australian maritime patrol aircraft over the East Sea on February 11.
In a statement, the Australian Department of Defense said a People's Liberation Army (PLA) J-16 fighter jet fired flares in close proximity to a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft while the aircraft was conducting a routine surveillance patrol mission over the South China Sea.
The Australian Defense Department also stressed that a PLA Navy frigate, cruiser and supply ship had entered Australian waters. (Reuters)
*Beijing reassures Seoul on DeepSeek: On February 13, Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Dai Bing cited the joint communique on artificial intelligence (AI) signed by South Korea, China and other countries at a recent summit in Paris, amid Seoul's move to block access to China's DeepSeek AI model over security concerns.
"As an active advocate and implementer of global AI governance, China will continue to work with the international community, including South Korea, to meet global expectations and foster an open, inclusive, beneficial and non-discriminatory AI development environment that benefits all countries and people," he said. (Yonhap)
Europe
*Russia wants to develop a "privileged" relationship with China: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 13 that Russia intends to develop relations with China and attaches great importance to the privileged comprehensive strategic partnership with this country.
“China is our partner, a country with which we have very close, comprehensive relations. And of course, we intend to continue developing this relationship in all possible aspects,” Mr. Peskov emphasized.
Referring to the negotiations on Ukraine, Mr. Peskov said that it is too early to talk about the composition of the participants. The Kremlin spokesman stated: "At the moment, it is also impossible to say anything about the composition of the participants (in the negotiations on Ukraine), because there have not been any substantive contacts at the professional level." (RIA Novosti)
*The phone call between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump proves that Europe's "time is up": Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on February 13 that Europe is jealous and angry with the phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump because this event proves that the power of the "Old Continent" has weakened.
The phone call between Trump and Putin on February 12 raised concerns in European political circles that the two leaders might seek to reach an agreement on the war in Ukraine on terms unfavorable to Kiev. "This development shows that Europe's real role in the world is over," Medvedev said. (Reuters)
*NATO surprised by US policy change on Ukraine: A NATO diplomat revealed to the Euractiv news portal that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's statement about Ukraine joining the alliance is unrealistic, meaning it is forcing Kiev to "surrender first".
On February 12, Hegseth said that the United States believes that Ukraine’s accession to NATO is not a feasible outcome in any potential negotiations with Russia. He also said that any future security guarantees for Ukraine would have to be supported by forces from within and outside Europe in a non-NATO mission without the participation of the United States. (RIA Novosti)
*US President says there will be a ceasefire in Ukraine soon: On February 12, US President Donald Trump announced that there will be a ceasefire in Ukraine in the "not too distant future".
President Trump made the announcement to reporters at the White House just hours after revealing that he had spoken by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and agreed to begin peace talks on Ukraine. In addition, Mr. Trump stressed that Ukraine's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is "not feasible", which has been a key point of disagreement in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. (AFP)
*US President calls Ukrainian President: The Ukrainian President's office confirmed that US President Donald Trump called President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 12 and spoke for about an hour. This call took place right after Mr. Trump's conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Zelensky said Mr Trump had informed him of the content of his previous phone call with Mr Putin. Mr Zelensky also said the two sides had also discussed a new agreement on security and economic cooperation as well as cooperation on resources discussed with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, who is visiting Kiev. The two sides agreed to continue to communicate and meet. (AFP)
Middle East – Africa
*Hamas does not want the Gaza ceasefire to collapse: Hamas issued a statement on February 13, affirming that it does not want the Gaza ceasefire to collapse. The information was released in the context of ongoing talks between the parties on continuing the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in Qatar.
Israel had previously conveyed a message to Hamas through Egyptian and Qatari mediators that it would ensure the continuation of the ceasefire agreement if the group released the hostages as planned on February 15.
On February 10, Hamas announced that the planned handover of Israeli hostages would be postponed until further notice. Hamas also accused Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement. (Al Jazeera)
*Iran criticizes US maximum pressure policy: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on February 12 strongly criticized the US's contradictory maximum pressure policies against Tehran.
The Iranian leader questioned why if the US really wanted to negotiate, it would not stop its hostile policies.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to reinstate the “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, aimed at preventing Tehran from “acquiring nuclear weapons.” The pressure has increased as President Trump has signaled his willingness to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear program. (Al Jazeera)
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*Egyptian President postpones visit to the US: On February 12, Ahram Online reported that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has postponed his planned visit to the US until further notice. According to this source, Mr. El-Sisi's decision was made after Jordan's King Abdullah II held talks with US President Donald Trump in Washington.
Egypt has recently issued a series of responses to Trump’s proposed Gaza plan, firmly rejecting the allocation of land for Gazan resettlement and refusing to hold discussions on Palestinian displacement. The report added that Egypt has also formally requested clarification from the US on Trump’s recent comments on potential sanctions against Cairo. (Arab News)
*Israel warns of "war" in Gaza if Hamas stops releasing prisoners: On February 12, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the country would resume war in Gaza if Hamas did not implement the ceasefire agreement and release hostages by February 15.
"The new war in Gaza will be different in intensity from the war before the ceasefire. The war will not end without the defeat of Hamas and the release of all hostages. This also allows the realization of US President Donald Trump's vision for Gaza," said Mr. Katz. (AFP)
America
*US may lift sanctions on Russia if progress is made in Ukraine: Political analyst and researcher Christopher Helali predicts that the US may begin lifting sanctions on Russia if progress is made in negotiations on the Ukraine issue.
In an interview with TASS about the phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, expert Helali shared: “I also know that part of the phone call between the Russian and US leaders mentioned the US dollar, various economic issues. Certainly BRICS was also mentioned. Therefore, there are still outstanding issues regarding de-dollarization and the development of a multipolar world.” (TASS)
* Mexican President opposes Trump's tariffs: On February 12, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum continued to speak out against the new US tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, saying she had written a letter to US President Donald Trump about this "unnecessary" measure.
According to official figures, the US recorded a surplus of nearly $6.897 billion in steel and aluminum trade with Mexico in 2024. Last week, President Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports into the US, which is expected to impact Mexico's steel industry.
At the same time, Mexico and the United States are holding talks to negotiate a temporary suspension of the 25% tariff on all Mexican goods exported to the United States. (THX)
*President Trudeau rejects the scenario of Canada's merger with the US: During a recent visit to Europe, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared that the merger of Canada with the US will "never happen".
Earlier, on February 1, the Trump administration announced its decision to impose tariffs on imports from Canada. Canada responded by imposing a 25% tariff on US goods worth CAD 155 billion (USD 107 billion).
The tariffs were supposed to be imposed earlier this week, but at the last minute, the US and Canada postponed their respective tariff proposals for at least 30 days. President Trump said that if Canada wanted to avoid the high tariffs, it could become the 51st US state. (THX)
*Billionaire Elon Musk compensates Donald Trump $10 million: According to the Wall Street Journal, billionaire Elon Musk's social media platform X has agreed to settle a lawsuit related to Twitter (former name of X) banning Donald Trump after the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Twitter and other social media platforms locked Mr Trump's account at the time over concerns he would incite further violence with false claims of voter fraud that cost him the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
Billionaire Musk later bought Twitter and renamed it X. He restored Trump's account on the platform and was a major supporter of Mr Trump during the recent presidential race. Mr Trump appointed Mr Musk to head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. (AFP)
*US President announced that he will meet his Russian counterpart in Saudi Arabia: US President Donald Trump said on February 12 that he will have his first meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia.
The statement came as the White House chief sought to push for an end to Moscow's special military campaign in neighboring Ukraine.
The move came just hours after Mr Trump said the two leaders had spoken by phone and agreed to immediately begin peace talks on Ukraine. The Kremlin said the call lasted nearly an hour and a half and the two sides agreed that “it is time to cooperate”. (Reuters)
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