UAV suddenly attacked Moscow, has the 'peak' of riots in France passed?

NATO is unlikely to deliver F-16s to Ukraine this year, British Ambassador talks about the possibility of downgrading relations with Russia... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Russia confirmed that it shot down 3 UAVs that attacked the capital Moscow on July 4. (Source: Reuters)

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

* Russia : Ukraine “ terrorist attack ” on civilian infrastructure : On July 4, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said that on the same day, two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were intercepted in the sky over Novaya Moscow, a district of Moscow. Meanwhile, another UAV was intercepted in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow.

“According to preliminary information, three UAVs were flying towards Moscow at different times. Two of them were intercepted in Novaya Moscow, the third in the Kaluga region,” the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said there were no immediate reports of casualties in the attack. However, the incident temporarily disrupted operations at Vnukovo Airport. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the attack was thwarted and there were no casualties.

Referring to this incident on Telegram , Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized: "Kiev's attempt to attack civilian infrastructure, including airports that receive international flights, is another act of terrorism." (Reuters/TASS)

* Russia destroyed over 900 Ukrainian armored vehicles in June: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on July 3 that in June, the Russian Armed Forces (VS RF) destroyed 920 Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles in the Donbass and Zaporizhzhia regions. Notably, among them were 16 Leopard tanks. (Sputnik)

* Russian general names the time of Ukraine's second counterattack: On July 3, in an interview with Sputnik (Russia), Major General Leonid Reshetnikov, a former official of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), stated that Ukraine will likely begin the second phase of its counterattack campaign about 10 days before the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Vilnus, Lithuania.

According to him, the Kiev government needs a concrete result to seek more financial and military support, especially security guarantees and NATO membership.

“Given the increasingly limited options, the Kiev authorities have no choice but to move forward. The next stage will see Ukraine reconsider its counteroffensive strategies and tactics, and mobilize additional unused resources,” Major General Leonid Reshetnikov said. (Sputnik)

* Ukraine : Counteroffensive campaign achieves “ significant results ” : On July 4, writing on Twitter , the head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov affirmed: “At the current critical stage, our defense forces are fulfilling the number one task - to neutralize as much of the Russian manpower, equipment, fuel depots, military vehicles, command posts, artillery, and air defense. Over the past few days, (the Ukrainian army) has achieved significant success.” (Reuters)

* Ukraine praises NATO Secretary General : On July 4, writing on social media after members agreed to extend Mr. Jens Stoltenberg's term, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba emphasized: "It is great to hear about the extension of Mr. Jens Stoltenberg's mandate as NATO Secretary General. These difficult times require strong leadership. He has proven that. I look forward to further promoting cooperation between Ukraine and NATO." (AFP)

* NATO refuses to transfer F-16s to Ukraine before the end of the counter-offensive : On July 4, in an interview with LBC radio (UK), Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of NATO's Military Committee, said: "That (the issue of providing fighter jets) will not be resolved in the near future." He noted that "it is impossible to arrange" the training of Ukrainian pilots and technical experts, and the deployment of logistics services for these aircraft before the end of the counter-offensive campaign. Ukraine is expected to receive F-16s this year, but Politico (USA) said this is not feasible.

The official also said that while the bulk of Russia’s ground forces are engaged in military operations in Ukraine, the Kremlin’s remaining forces remain a threat. “We believe the Russians will regroup,” he said. “The plans are not based on the actual state of the Russian military. Instead, they are based on the state of the Russian military before they sent troops to Ukraine.”

Admiral Bauer said Russia “will learn lessons” from the conflict and NATO “will continue to view Russia as a serious threat,” at sea, in the air and in space, where the Russian armed forces “remain very capable,” beyond nuclear weapons.

Regarding the progress of the VSU counterattack, Mr. Rob Bauer stated: “This counterattack will be very difficult. No one should think of this as a walk in the park. It will never be like that...” The NATO official commented that the VSU was right to be cautious to avoid high casualties while they probed the possibility of a breakthrough. Therefore, this general said that Ukraine should not be criticized for not being able to advance faster.

This assessment by General Rob Bauer is somewhat similar to that of the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Previously, Mr. Milley had commented that Kiev's counterattack would be difficult and prolonged. (Politico/Sputnik)

* German Minister: Ukraine will soon receive dozens of Leopard tanks : On July 3, in an interview with Rzeczpospolita news agency (Poland), German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: "In the coming weeks, dozens of Leopard 1 A5 main battle tanks provided by Germany and Denmark will be delivered to Ukraine."

In addition, Pistorius mentioned a military aid package for Kiev prepared in May worth 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion), which is expected to include other necessary weapons, as well as additional IRIS-T SLM air defense systems. (Sputnik)

* US Treasury Secretary meets Chinese Ambassador: US officials announced on July 3 that the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng on the same day. Accordingly, the two officials had "frank and constructive discussions" covering global and regional issues. The meeting took place right before Ms. Yellen's visit this week. (Reuters)

* Expert: US-China need to restore trust " at all costs " : On July 3, speaking in Beijing within the framework of the World Peace Forum, Mr. Daniel Russell, the top US diplomat for Asia under former President Barack Obama, commented on the current US-China relationship.

The security standoff between China and the United States has become a “dark cloud” that affects regional stability and recovery, he said. Amid intensifying strategic competition, Beijing and Washington have accused each other of violating international law, seeking hegemony, and threatening the interests of developing countries, as well as peace and stability in the region, the diplomat said.

“This demonstrates that the United States and China have become increasingly hostile and suspicious of each other,” Mr. Russell noted. “Both governments think they are defending the status quo and legitimate rights. Each side sees its actions as legitimate and defensive.”

Without dialogue, trust and transparency, relations between Washington and Beijing will spiral downward and suspicion of each other’s strategic intentions will be a cause for concern for neighbors, the diplomat warned. “Crisis could lead to conflict, even if neither side wants it.” (SCMP)

* The Russian Embassy will retaliate against the US move with restrictions : On July 4, writing on Telegram , the Russian Embassy in Washington stated: “We have noted statements in the media. According to which, the working conditions of Americans in Moscow are worse than those of Russian diplomats here. This time, such a thesis is being promoted by the famous New York Times , which has repeatedly refused to publish Russian foreign policy.”

The agency also stressed: “All restrictions imposed on the staff of the US diplomatic mission in Moscow are only retaliation for Washington's restrictions, which systematically create unjustified difficulties for us in the United States.” (TASS)

Southeast Asia

* Thailand has a new Speaker of the House of Representatives: On the morning of July 4, at the National Assembly building in Bangkok, the 26th Thai House of Representatives held its first session with the participation of 496/500 parliamentarians, with the important task of electing the Speaker and two Vice Speakers of the House of Representatives.

Following an agreement reached in the potential coalition led by the March Forward Party (MFP), Prachachat Party leader Wan Mohamad Noor Matha was nominated as the sole candidate and thus elected as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives. According to Thai law, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is also the President of the National Assembly.

In his inauguration speech, the new Speaker of the National Assembly, Wan Noor, pledged to be politically neutral in accordance with the instructions of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, work honestly, and comply with the law and regulations of the National Assembly. (VNA)

Northeast Asia

* Japan, EU to strengthen cooperation on semiconductors : On July 4 in Tokyo, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura and European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on developing an information-sharing mechanism to prevent possible chip supply shortages. At the ceremony, Tokyo also focused on exchanging information on government subsidies for companies as part of efforts to prevent chip oversupply. In addition, the two sides also aim to strengthen cooperation in human resource development, as well as research and development in the industry.

Earlier in May, Tokyo and Washington agreed to step up cooperation in developing next-generation semiconductors and affirmed the need to strengthen global supply chains through multilateral engagements such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a U.S.-led economic initiative launched last year that includes 14 countries in the region. (Kyodo)

Europe

* Russian President: SCO committed to creating a fair world order : On July 4, speaking at the online Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated: “Our organization is firmly committed to building a truly fair and multipolar world order. A world order based on international law, the widely recognized principles of mutual respect and cooperation of sovereign states, with the United Nations playing a central coordinating role.”

The leader stressed that Moscow supports the draft SCO joint statement, which "reflects unified approaches to international issues." At the same time, the Russian president also supports granting SCO membership to Belarus. (TASS)

* Mr. Macron: The “ peak ” of the riots in France has passed : On July 4, at a meeting with the mayors of 220 cities affected by the riots, French President Emmanuel Macron assessed that Paris had experienced a “peak”, but caution was still needed: “Is this a long-term return to peace? I will be cautious, but the peak we had to witness in the previous days is probably over”.

According to preliminary statistics from the French Interior Ministry, on the night of July 3, police arrested 72 more people, of whom 24 were arrested in the inner city and around the capital Paris. Rioters set fire to and damaged 24 buildings, burned 159 vehicles and caused 202 fires in other public areas during the night. The extremists also attacked 4 offices and headquarters of security forces. Similar to the previous two nights, France continued to deploy 45,000 security personnel across the country to respond to violent protests. (AFP)

* Britain does not want to downgrade diplomatic relations with Russia : On July 4, commenting on this possibility, British Permanent Representative to the United Nations Barbara Woodward expressed: "It would be a pity to downgrade relations, because when... Russia withdraws from Ukraine, it is very important to rebuild relations using diplomatic relations." She also said that she met with British Ambassador to Moscow Deborah Bronnert during her recent visit to London. According to Ambassador Woodward, Mr. Bronnert has done an "extraordinary job" in the current international context.

Previously, in a commentary in the Rossiyskaya Gazette (Russia) on July 2, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia could suspend diplomatic relations with a number of countries, including the UK. (TASS)

* Georgia : Ukraine “ insults ” Tbilisi’s ambassador : On July 4, Georgia’s ruling party criticized Kiev for “insulting” Tbilisi’s ambassador. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky summoned Ambassador George Zakarashvili, demanding that the official “leave Ukraine within 48 hours to hold consultations with his government” over the treatment of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, which has caused international concern.

Zelensky made the request as Saakashvili, who was Georgia's president from 2004 to 2013 and is now a Ukrainian citizen, appeared on Georgian television for the first time in months on July 3. The 55-year-old former president, who was detained when he returned to Georgia from Ukraine in 2021, has lost more than half his weight. Doctors say he is at risk of dying from a number of diseases he contracted while in detention. (AFP)

Middle East-Africa

* Turkey, Egypt restore diplomatic relations : On July 4, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that Turkey and Egypt have upgraded diplomatic relations to the ambassadorial level and agreed to appoint ambassadors to the two countries. Specifically, the Ministry confirmed that the two countries have upgraded bilateral relations according to the agreement reached between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Accordingly, Turkey appointed Mr. Salih Mutlu Sen as Ambassador in Cairo, while Egypt appointed Mr. Amr Elhamamy as Ambassador in Ankara. (Reuters)

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