Ukraine considers mobilizing women in the military, South Korea has a new foreign minister

Israel neutralizes important Hamas figure, Russia reacts when the US signs defense agreement with Finland... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Mr. Cho Tae Yul (far right), former Vice Foreign Minister and former South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations, will be the new Foreign Minister under President Yoon Suk Yeol. (Source: Reuters)

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

* Ukraine mentions possibility of mobilizing women into the army : On December 18, UNIAN (Ukraine) quoted the deputy of the "Voice" party in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine, Ms. Inna Sovsun, saying: "There will be an unpopular decision. I do not deny that we can go to the point of mobilizing women into the army.... Friends, there must be a statement, either we lose, or we have to accept the difficult decision of mobilizing women." She also noted that it is necessary to determine the target group of women to be mobilized and other related issues.

Earlier, pro-president Servant of the People party lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya announced the preparation of a bill on gender equality in military registration and service. This will help mobilize women for work in the rear, not just in medical work. According to her, the lawmaker plans to introduce mandatory basic combined arms training for men and women from the age of 18. This will include basic knowledge of tactics and medicine, skills in handling weapons and handling drones. (Reuters)

* France, UK will continue to support Ukraine : On December 19, speaking at a press conference after talks in Paris (France) with his host counterpart Catherine Colonna, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron declared: "Britain and France are staunch supporters of Ukraine and we will continue, as long as necessary. I am sure we can ensure (President) Putin loses and it is necessary that he loses... We must be absolutely resolute in our support of Ukraine."

Stressing that the West must remain committed to Ukraine, Mr Cameron likened the Russian effort to a play with several acts. “The first act was the astonishing failure of Russia to achieve its objectives in the first phase,” he said. “The second act was the brilliance of the Ukrainian forces in pushing back the Russians… and of course the third act was more difficult on the ground.” “But the fourth act has not yet been written and we have to make sure it is written properly,” he added.

For his part, Foreign Minister Colonna declared: “Our two countries, side by side from the beginning, have worked together to ensure that Russia’s actions will not be rewarded, will fail, and that Ukraine can restore its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity... We hope to continue to strengthen this cooperation.” (AFP)

* Israel kills key Hamas figure in Gaza Strip : On December 19, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had neutralized Subhi Ferwana, a prominent financier of the Islamist movement, after an airstrike on the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Ferwana and his brother had transferred millions of dollars from Iran and other sources to Hamas to build up its military force. Although the IDF was attacking the Gaza Strip, Ferwana continued to provide funds for Hamas to buy weapons and pay salaries to gunmen.

In another related development, on the same day, Türkiye said it had re-examined the financial activities of a Turkish company whose shareholders were sanctioned by the US for providing aid to the Hamas movement and concluded that there was no abuse of Ankara's financial system.

On October 27, the United States sanctioned three major shareholders of the Trend GYO real estate investment fund in Turkey, including the chairman and board members, for providing finance to Hamas. The fund has denied the allegations. The Turkish Treasury affirmed that the country's financial system fully complies with national laws and international obligations, and is strictly regulated and supervised by competent authorities. (Reuters)

* Hamas rejects draft hostage deal proposed by Israel : On December 19, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed (Qatar) newspaper quoted Egyptian sources as saying that the Jewish State has proposed exchanging female soldiers and elderly hostages in exchange for Hamas prisoners serving long sentences in Israeli prisons. However, the Islamic movement insisted that Israel return the prisoners who are leaders of other Palestinian factions being held in Tel Aviv.

In another related development, the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar , which is close to the Hezbollah movement, reported on the same day that Director of Israel's secret intelligence agency (Mossad) David Barnea is expected to meet with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abas Kamal to discuss the post-conflict scenario for the Gaza Strip. According to the newspaper, Cairo has objected to the Jewish State taking control of security in the Gaza Strip unless the Palestinian Authority (PA) is allowed to administer the territory. (VNA)

* Palestine: Israel attacks Rafah and Jabalia, killing many people : On December 19, AP reported that an attack on a house in the town of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, killed at least 25 people, including women and children. Also according to AP, another Israeli attack in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 3 Palestinians.

Meanwhile, the Hamas Government Health Service in the Gaza Strip said on the same day that at least 13 people were killed and 75 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern part of the territory. Although only 1.4 square kilometers in size, this is the largest camp, housing 116,000 Palestinian refugees and completely dependent on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for food, medicine and other necessities.

Meanwhile, the IDF has not made any comments regarding these allegations. Previously, the IDF only announced the killing of a top Hamas financial leader in the attack on the town of Rafah. (AP)

* France follows the US in sanctioning extremist Jewish settlers : On December 19, speaking at a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron after a visit to Israel and the West Bank, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said: “Paris has decided to take measures… targeting some extremist Israeli settlers… I have witnessed with my own eyes the violence committed by some extremist settlers. That is unacceptable.”

Earlier, the US and UK governments announced sanctions against Jewish extremists for violent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. The sanctions include an entry ban to these countries and a number of other sanctions. (AFP)

* Russia will not participate in security operations in the Red Sea : On December 19, when asked about the US-led operation to ensure security in the Red Sea, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated: "We will not participate in this operation."

Earlier in the day, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the decision to establish a multinational operation to secure commercial activities in the Black Sea, following a series of missile and drone attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement. According to him, the participating countries include Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain. (Reuters)

Russia-China

* Russia is ready to assist China in overcoming the consequences of the earthquake : Speaking at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang on December 19, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin expressed his deep condolences to the head of the Chinese State Council over the human losses caused by the devastating earthquake in Gansu and Qinghai provinces. At the same time, he expressed his sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims and wished all the injured a speedy recovery. The Russian Prime Minister emphasized that, in accordance with President Vladimir Putin's decision, Moscow is ready to assist China in overcoming the consequences of the earthquake through the country's Ministry of Emergency Situations if needed.

Earlier, on December 18, a series of 6.2 magnitude tremors were recorded in Gansu Province. The epicenter of the tremors was at a depth of 10 km. The Chinese government has issued the second of four emergency response levels (the first being the highest) following the Gansu earthquake. According to the latest report, the death toll has risen to at least 118. More than 1,500 emergency response personnel are participating in search and rescue operations at the disaster sites. (VNA)

Northeast Asia

* South Korean President Appoints New Foreign Minister : On December 19, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed former Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yul, replacing Mr. Park Jin as the country's foreign minister. In addition, Mr. Yoon also appointed National Security Advisor Cho Tae Yong as Director of the National Intelligence Service, replacing Mr. Kim Kyou Hyun who resigned last month. (Yonhap)

* South Korea calls on China to “ play a constructive role ” with North Korea : On December 19, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo Suk emphasized: “China is a responsible permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a country with influence over North Korea. We hope that China will play a constructive role so that North Korea can stop its provocations and return to dialogue.”

According to the official, South Korea strongly condemned North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch, considering it a threat to regional peace and international security. He stated: "We will closely cooperate with the US, Japan and other important partners to find ways to respond at the Security Council level as well as independent and multilateral sanctions against North Korea."

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on December 19 to discuss the ICBM launch. However, any new resolution to condemn Pyongyang is likely to face opposition from China and Russia, two of the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto power. (Yonhap)

* China urges Japan to respect ASEAN's " peace efforts " : On December 19, responding to questions about cooperation between Tokyo and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stressed: "China believes that all cooperation is beneficial to deeper mutual trust between regional countries and should not target any third party." According to him, "the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea is generally stable at present. We hope that relevant countries will earnestly respect the efforts of regional countries to maintain peace and stability."

At the Tokyo Summit last weekend, leaders of Japan and ASEAN pledged to strengthen cooperation on maritime security, supply chains, promote sustainable energy use and expand people-to-people exchanges in many areas. (Anadolu)

* Russia announces strengthening of nuclear forces : On December 19, speaking to senior defense officials, President Vladimir Putin announced that the country is upgrading its nuclear arsenal and maintaining its strategic forces at the highest level of readiness when the West launches a "hybrid" conflict with Moscow.

At the same time, the leader affirmed that Russia will continue its current military operations in Ukraine. President Putin also stressed that any attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia have collapsed. He pointed out that the West continues to wage a “hybrid” conflict against Moscow by providing real-time intelligence and transferring weapons to Kiev. According to the leader, among the weapons transferred are high-mobility multiple launch rocket systems, long-range missiles, cluster munitions, a large number of new UAVs. Putin also noted that the West plans to transfer F-16 multirole fighters to Ukraine and is training pilots in the West. (Reuters/Sputnik)

* Kremlin : Russia will break the EU ban on diamond imports : On December 19, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the country will break the European Union (EU) ban on diamond imports from Russia. He stated: "In general, the 12th package shows that perhaps the group of sectors that can be subject to sanctions is exhausted."

On December 18, the EU approved a new package of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on diamonds. Specifically, it covers natural diamonds, synthetic diamonds, jewelry from January and Russian diamonds cut in other countries from September 2024. (TTXVN)

* Turkey profits from Russian oil : Turkey, one of Russia's biggest oil customers following the EU's embargo on Moscow's crude and refined products, has saved $2 billion this year, Reuters reported on December 18.

The drop in Russian oil prices and its geographic location have given Ankara an advantage in 2023. Last month, Russian crude shipments to Türkiye rose to a record 400,000 barrels per day, accounting for 14% of Russia’s total seaborne oil exports. That figure could rise after reports in October that oil producer Lukoil had reached an agreement with Azeri oil company SOCAR to supply Russian crude to a refinery in Turkey.

Since the EU banned imports of Russian crude, Turkey has been the largest buyer of Russian oil products, followed by China, which has bought 12 percent of Russia's oil exports. Turkey has also imported 4 percent of Russian crude since the EU embargo came into effect last December. (Reuters)

* Russia summons Finnish Ambassador to protest defense cooperation agreement with the US : On December 19, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized: “In recent days, the Finnish Government has approved signing a defense cooperation agreement with the US... For that reason, the Finnish Ambassador to Russia was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on December 19. The Ambassador was informed that Russia will not tolerate the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military buildup on its borders because such a move threatens Russia's security.”

According to her, Helsinki bears full responsibility for turning a good neighborly area into a potential area of ​​confrontation.

A day earlier, in Washington DC, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen and Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen signed a bilateral defense cooperation agreement.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Blinken said the new agreement is the latest example of the US’s comprehensive effort to strengthen transatlantic security; NATO is stronger and more united than ever, thanks in no small part to the accession of Finland, and soon to be joined by Sweden. The US-Finland defense cooperation agreement will enhance cooperation between the two sides, as well as NATO’s interoperability.

In response, Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen praised the agreement, saying it demonstrates the United States' strong commitment to the defense of Finland and Northern Europe. The United States is expected to sign a defense cooperation agreement with Denmark later this week. (Reuters/Sputnik)

* United Nations : The Israel- Lebanon border is in a " dangerous " state : On December 18, speaking in Beirut, Commander of the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Aroldo Lazaro stated: "As everyone knows, the current situation is very tense, difficult and dangerous. We are trying to maintain a mediating and coordinating role to avoid miscalculations and misunderstandings that could lead to a new escalation." According to him, Hezbollah used long-range missiles to attack Israel, while Israel sent aircraft to attack Lebanon's airspace. The fighting between the two sides is related to developments in the Gaza Strip between the IDF and Hamas.

Since October 8, cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have left 130 people dead. Most of them were Hezbollah fighters, but also included a Lebanese soldier and 17 civilians. On the Israeli side, four civilians and seven soldiers have been killed. The United Nations established UNIFIL in 1978 to oversee Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. (Reuters)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-1912-ukraine-can-nhac-huy-dong-phu-nu-vao-quan-doi-han-quoc-co-ngoai-truong-moi-254513.html