Is Russian President "playing games"? Ukraine declares "red line", Israel again fanned the "fire" of Gaza

The World and Vietnam Newspaper highlights some outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) believes there is a chance for peace in 2025, but there needs to be solid security guarantees. (Source: Financial Times)

Europe

* The phone call between the two leaders of Russia and the US ended late on March 18 and was considered very effective. US President Donald Trump suggested that the conflicting parties refrain from attacking each other's energy facilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded and gave corresponding orders to the military.

President Putin stated his readiness to cooperate with the United States to thoroughly explore possible ways to achieve a comprehensive, sustainable and long-term solution, taking into account the need to eliminate the root causes of the crisis and ensure Moscow's legitimate interests in the security sphere.

Russia stressed that the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict must be a complete cessation of foreign military assistance and intelligence provision to Ukraine.

The two leaders also expressed their common interest in normalizing bilateral relations, discussed preventing the proliferation of strategic weapons as well as many other issues on the international agenda, including the situation in the Middle East and the Red Sea region.

The United States and Russia will continue important talks on March 23 about the conflict in Ukraine in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. (Reuters, TASS)

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed his support for the US initiative to cease fire at energy facilities proposed during the Trump-Putin phone call, but needed to know the details from Washington and would give an answer.

He expressed “hope that the United States will continue to work and pressure Russia… to make things happen,” adding that “an unconditional ceasefire would be one of the first steps towards peace.”

The leader believes that the conflict can end in 2025 "with a decent peace, but certainly with security guarantees", noting that Kiev's "red line" is to recognize the Ukrainian territories currently controlled by Moscow as Russian. (The Guardian)

* Germany will increase military aid to Ukraine by 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) this year after lawmakers approved a financial reform plan, according to a document sent by the German Finance Ministry to the Bundestag's budget committee.

For the 2026-2029 period, Germany plans to approve a commitment of 8.252 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, bringing the total aid amount to more than 11 billion euros. (Reuters)

* The European Union (EU) has scaled back its arms aid plan worth up to 40 billion euros to focus on providing 2 million artillery shells worth 5 billion euros to Ukraine, according to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, on March 19.

According to Ms Kallas, the plan to convince EU countries to commit to providing Kiev with key weapons worth 20-40 billion euros in 2025 has been opposed by a number of countries including Italy, Spain and France. (AFP)

* Germany and the EU accused Russia of not reducing its attacks on Ukrainian military infrastructure on the first night after the Russia-US phone call. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on March 19 accused President Vladimir Putin of "playing games".

Meanwhile, EU High Representative Kallas said Russia's refusal to accept a full 30-day ceasefire that Trump hoped would be the first step toward a lasting peace deal showed Moscow "wasn't really willing to give anything up." (Reuters)

* Nordic and Baltic countries call on the EU to come up with "concrete proposals on how to speed up the accession process of Ukraine".

In a letter, the countries stressed that Ukraine's accession to the EU should be a top priority because Kiev has demonstrated significant progress in reforms. (Politico)

* The Netherlands is pushing for technological sovereignty with parliament passing a series of proposals aimed at reducing its dependence on US software companies, including the development of a cloud services platform controlled by the Nordic country itself.

In addition to launching a sovereign cloud services platform, the proposals call on the Dutch government to reconsider its decision to use Amazon Web Services to host the country’s internet domain names. They also recommend developing alternatives to American software and giving priority to European companies in public tenders.

Lawmakers say the change in relations with the United States under President Donald Trump has made the issue more urgent than ever. (Reuters)

Asia-Pacific

* China wants stable, healthy and sustainable economic relations with the United States because the fundamental interests of both countries benefit global companies, according to Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen in a meeting with PepsiCo Chairman Ramon Laguarta on March 18.

According to a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, at the meeting, Mr. Wang Shouwen stated: "The nature of economic and trade relations between the two countries is mutual benefit and win-win." (THX)

* Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will visit Russia next June and may sign an agreement to establish a free trade area with countries in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) during the visit, according to Indonesian Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto, March 19. (Indonesia Tempo)

* The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officially launched two new commands on March 18 to better protect the country's "digital backbone" and critical information technology infrastructure from hostile cyber threats.

The two new units are the Defence Cyber ​​Command (DCCOM) under the Digital Intelligence Service (DIS) and the SAF's C4 & Digitalisation Command (SAFC4DC).

Meanwhile, on March 19, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced that Singapore will remain steadfast in its commitment to enhancing innovation and partnerships to promote global security. (The Straits Times)

* India expressed concern over the Netherlands supplying weapons to Pakistan at a meeting between Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his Dutch counterpart Ruben Brekelmans in New Delhi on March 18.

The two sides also had in-depth discussions on many issues of cooperation, such as promoting bilateral relations in the fields of defense, security, information exchange, as well as the development of the Indo-Pacific region and modern technologies. (Times of India)

Middle East-Africa

* Israel intensified its attacks on Gaza on March 19, killing at least five Palestinians, as Israeli authorities repeatedly warned of a renewed offensive in the Gaza Strip, while affirming that from now on, ceasefire negotiations in Gaza will only take place “under bombs and bullets”.

On March 18, Israel launched a large-scale attack on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 400 people. The United Nations and the international community, especially Arab countries and humanitarian organizations, have expressed concern about Israel's actions. (VNA)

* Hamas warned that escalating the conflict in the Gaza Strip would lead to human and material losses for Palestine, "but also put the lives of Israeli hostages in danger".

Hamas Political Bureau member Taher al-Nunu called on the international community to "take urgent action" to end the conflict in Gaza, accusing Israel of violating the signed ceasefire agreement.

However, Mr. Taher also said that Hamas will "not close the door to ceasefire negotiations with Israel." (AFP)

* Palestine has asked the Arab League to hold an extraordinary meeting after new Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip that have killed hundreds of people. (AFP)

* New progress in Cyprus unification talks , according to which, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders have reached an agreement to reopen four border crossings on the island of Cyprus and conduct mine clearance, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The two leaders launched a series of confidence-building initiatives, including the establishment of a youth technical committee, climate projects such as solar power in buffer zones and the reconstruction of health resorts. (UN News)

America

* President Donald Trump reaffirmed his desire for Canada to become the 51st state of the United States, while expressing Washington's fatigue in ensuring Ottawa's security. Mr. Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Canada's low defense spending and said that the country was relying on the United States for protection.

The US president also said that if Canada joined the US, it would receive reliable protection and its people would only have to pay half of what they currently pay to Ottawa. However, he also admitted that Canada is "the most difficult country to negotiate with of all the countries." (Fox News)

* The US Department of Defense plans to cut 60,000 civilian jobs , including nearly 21,000 voluntary layoffs, in the coming months. (Reuters)

* The US threatens to increase sanctions on Venezuela if the country does not accept its citizens deported by Washington, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. (THX)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-193-tong-thong-nga-dang-choi-tro-choi-ukraine-tuyen-bo-lan-ranh-do-israel-lai-thoi-bung-lo-lua-gaza-308153.html