Ukraine shows results of counterattack, US surprised about situation in Russia

Russian Defense Minister appears after Wagner incident, Egypt and India establish strategic partnership... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (right) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their talks on June 25. (Source: Egyptian Presidential Office)

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

* Ukraine announces progress of counter-offensive campaign : On June 26, speaking to Ukrainian press, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar announced that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) had taken control of 130 square kilometers from Moscow's forces along the southern region since the start of the counter-offensive campaign. However, she also admitted: "The situation in the south has not changed significantly". Accordingly, in hotspots such as Lyman, the city of Bakhmut, Avdiivka as well as Maryinka, more than 250 clashes have occurred in the past week alone. ( Reuters )

* Russian website: VSU establishes bridgehead on left bank of Dnieper River: On June 26, Telegram channel “Two Majors” (Russia) reported that over the past three days, VSU has established a small bridgehead less than 1 km long on the left bank of Dnieper River. Units of the Russian Armed Forces (VS RF) had to withdraw from the area due to continuous activity of enemy artillery and special forces.

Ukraine is reinforcing its forces by moving ammunition and technical equipment at night. In addition, the VSU is currently trying to expand its control zone, deploying mobile electronic warfare equipment on the left bank, making it difficult for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using first-person view (FPV).

On the same day, a Russian military website reported that in one week in the Zaporizhzhia direction, the VS RF had doubled the territory that the VSU had regained. According to the website, foreign analysts were forced to declare that Ukraine's counterattack in the key Zaporizhzhia direction had failed. (TTXVN)

* German media : Negotiations on Ukraine may begin in July : ARD (Germany) reported that on June 24 in Copenhagen, an international meeting on Ukraine was held “under the strictest secrecy” with the participation of Western diplomats, representatives of Brazil, India, China and South Africa. The channel stated that the West's goal is to gain the support of the BRICS countries, which remain neutral in the situation regarding Ukraine. The talks were held at Kiev's initiative.

Earlier, on June 23, the EU representative confirmed this information. Bloomberg quoted sources saying that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, a representative of the European Commission, “special envoys from South Africa, Brazil and India”, and “one of the senior officials from Ukraine” are expected to participate in the above negotiations. (ARD/Bloomberg)

* Australia announces new aid package for Ukraine : On June 26, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Canberra will provide new aid worth 110 million AUD (73.54 million USD) to Kiev. Specifically, the new aid package will include 28 armored vehicles, 14 special operations vehicles, 28 medium-sized trucks and 14 trailers. Mr. Albanese emphasized: "Australia firmly opposes Russia's actions and will help Ukraine win." (Reuters)

* Israel affirms its stance on Ukraine : On June 25, speaking on Army Radio, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said: “We support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We voted (in support of Kiev) at the UN. (Israeli) soldiers met with the Ukrainian side. We provided humanitarian aid.”

Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel said that the Jewish state had chosen the path of establishing closer ties with Russia instead of providing aid to Ukraine. Shortly after, the host country's Foreign Ministry summoned Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk to protest these messages. (TASS)

South Asia

* Indian official criticizes former US President: On June 25, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticized former US President Barack Obama's comments about Muslims in India. The official said: "He commented on Indian Muslims... even though he himself sent troops to Muslim-majority countries, from Syria to Yemen, while in office."

Last week, speaking on CNN (USA), Mr. Obama said that the issue of “protecting minority Muslims in India, a country with a majority of Hindus living” should come up in the discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden. The former US President said that without such protection, “it is possible that at some point India will start to break up.” (Reuters)

Northeast Asia

* Japan protests Russia's renaming of Victory Day: On June 26, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu expressed "deep regret" after Russia declared September 3 as victory day over "Japanese militarism". He stated: "The passage of this law will not only stir up anti-Japanese sentiment in Russia, but may also lead to anti-Russian sentiment in Japan". He said Tokyo has sent a protest note to Moscow. (Kyodo)

* North Korea holds large-scale anti-US rally: On June 26, KCNA (North Korea) reported that a day earlier, a large-scale rally took place in the capital Pyongyang to criticize the US's "provocation" on the day marking the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. The event was attended by more than 120,000 people, including secretaries of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea Ri Il Hwan, Pak Thae Song, workers and youth.

KCNA said the marchers blamed the United States for the Korean War, noting that “there would be no deep hatred like on June 25 and the motherland would not be stained with innocent blood” if North Korea had great power. “The Korean people have firmly grasped the most powerful weapon to punish the United States and the war deterrent for self-defense that no country dares to provoke,” the station said. (Yonhap)

Europe

* Moscow lifts anti-terrorist measures , Russian Defense Minister appears later : On June 26, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram that he had lifted the “anti-terrorist” measures imposed over the weekend following the activities of Wagner forces near the city. He thanked the people for their “calm and understanding” during the crisis. In addition, the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee announced that the security situation in the country had “stabilized”.

On the same day, speaking at a government meeting broadcast on television, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stressed that Russia needs to maintain solidarity with President Vladimir Putin to face "challenges that threaten the stability" of the country.

Also on June 26, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public appearance since the incident. He inspected the frontline command post of the Western Military District’s army corps in the “special military operation” area.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that at the command post, Mr. Shoigu heard a report from the army group commander, Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov, on the current situation, the nature of the actions of the Ukrainian side and the implementation of combat missions by the Russian army in the main tactical directions. Colonel General Nikiforov reported to Mr. Shoigu on the formation and combat coordination of the newly formed reserve regiments of the Western Military District. (AFP/Reuters/TTXVN)

* Russia is still investigating Wagner leader : On June 26, Kommersant (Russia) quoted an anonymous source saying that the commander of the Wagner force, Mr. Yevgeny Prigozhin, is still the subject of investigation by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

Earlier, under an agreement with the Kremlin, charges against the Wagner rebels were dropped. In return, the militants returned to their camps and Prigozhin was transferred to Belarus. However, on its website, Kommersant quoted sources as saying that it was not yet time to change the status of the case. (Kommersant)

* CNN: US intelligence surprised by developments in Russia: On June 26, CNN (USA) quoted a source saying that US intelligence had predicted that the confrontation between Wagner forces and the Russian army would cause many casualties. Therefore, Washington was surprised when Mr. Prigozhin and the Russian government reached an agreement so quickly. (CNN)

* Germany opposes using Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine : On June 26, Financial Times (UK) quoted sources saying that Germany opposed the European Union (EU) plan to use frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank to rebuild Ukraine. Accordingly, some Berlin officials believe that the plan will not receive enough support, because the legal threats are "too high".

Germany has been doing “everything legally possible” to identify and freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian citizens and entities. However, the EU’s intention to use frozen Russian money to rebuild Ukraine’s economy and infrastructure raises “complex financial and legal questions.”

The EU is currently seeking to raise up to €3 billion ($3.3 billion) a year from holding assets from the Russian central bank, and Kiev is proposing a solution that would see the EU use the seized assets as collateral, which would allow it to borrow for investment and distribute money to Ukraine. EU foreign ministers are also expected to discuss the issue in Luxembourg on June 26. (Financial Times)

* Sweden, Turkey meet ahead of NATO summit : On June 26, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg said Sweden and Turkey will meet in Brussels on the possibility of granting Sweden membership, before the summit taking place in Vilnius (Lithuania) next July.

Speaking in Vilnius, he said: “The meeting, attended by foreign ministers, heads of intelligence agencies and national security advisers, is aimed at accelerating the completion of Sweden’s accession process.” (Reuters)

America

* US establishes committee to investigate Titan submarine incident : On June 25, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said the force officially established a committee to investigate the disaster and the deaths of five people on board the Titan.

Captain Jason Neubauer will lead the investigation. “My primary goal is to prevent similar incidents from occurring by making recommendations to improve maritime safety worldwide,” he said. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* Egypt and India upgrade relations to Strategic Partnership : On June 25, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Al Itihadiyah Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt. The two sides discussed measures to enhance bilateral cooperation in a range of areas and signed a joint statement on upgrading bilateral relations to the level of “Strategic Partnership”.

Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said the meeting reflected the will of both countries to strengthen bilateral relations. President El-Sisi and Prime Minister Modi discussed ways to boost cooperation in various areas, including economy, trade, investment, renewable energy and green hydrogen, pharmaceutical production, food security, higher education, media, information technology and defense.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest such as increasing bilateral trade, including strategic goods, and promoting Indian investment in Egypt. Mr. El-Sisi and Mr. Modi discussed plans to expand cooperation in the fields of tourism and culture through increasing direct flights between the two capitals. The two leaders also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Modi reiterated his invitation to President El-Sisi to attend the G20 Summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi in September 2023. For his part, President El-Sisi appreciated India's role in the G20. He affirmed that Egypt is ready to promote constructive discussions to reach optimal mechanisms to effectively deal with energy and food crises, climate change, as well as mobilize financial resources for developing countries.

At the end of the talks, President El-Sisi awarded the "Order of the Nile" - the highest medal of the Egyptian State - to Prime Minister Modi. (TTXVN)

* Sudan: RSF claims control of Khartoum police headquarters : At least 14 civilians were killed in the Sudanese capital on June 26 as the Sudanese army and rival paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fought for control of Khartoum police headquarters, activists said. Earlier on the evening of June 25, RSF announced: "The headquarters (of Khartoum police) is completely under control... and we have seized a large number of vehicles, weapons and ammunition."

According to a former military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, if the RSF continues to hold strategic locations, it “will have a major impact on the situation in Khartoum.” The actual death toll is expected to be much higher, as both sides have not reported casualties.

The source also said that taking control of the Khartoum police headquarters would give the RSF “control over the southern entrance to the capital.” The RSF presence could pose a “serious threat to the nearby armored corps headquarters,” one of the army’s most important strongholds in southern Khartoum. (AFP)

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