Ukraine receives big "gift", Russia is not satisfied with US reaction; North Korean satellite "heats up" US-Japan-Korea

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, North Korea's failed military satellite launch, the South American Summit, the situation in Sudan, and Serbia-Kosovo tensions... are some of the notable international events in the past 24 hours.

North Korea launched its first military spy satellite on the morning of May 31, but it failed. (Illustration photo. Source: Cryptoplitan)

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

Russia-Ukraine

* Kiev received 60 Leopard 2 tanks from the German-led coalition, including Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Spain and Canada, as confirmed by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on May 31.

"We have about two battalions, each with 30 Leopard tanks," Reznikov said.

In addition, France also provided Ukraine with AMX-10RC wheeled tanks, the UK sent Challenger tanks and the US transferred Abrams. This clearly shows the active military support that Kiev receives from its Western partners in the current geopolitical situation. (Avia pro)

* Russia accuses the US of encouraging Ukraine to attack: On May 31, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said that Washington was encouraging Kiev by publicly ignoring the drone attack on several districts of Moscow on May 30, although Ukraine denied being behind the incident.

The White House has previously said it does not support attacks inside Russia and is still "gathering information" about the incident, which President Vladimir Putin called an attempt to intimidate and provoke Moscow.

“What are they trying to hide behind the phrase ‘information gathering’? This is an encouragement to Ukraine,” Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said on Telegram . (Reuters)

* IAEA needs to maintain contact with both Russia and Ukraine: On May 30, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said that he is planning to visit Kiev, Zaporizhzhia and possibly Moscow, emphasizing the need to maintain contact with both countries.

During a meeting at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the same day, Mr. Grossi also proposed principles to protect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

Accordingly, the parties shall not launch any attack of any kind from or against the ZNPP, in particular against reactors, spent fuel storage facilities, other critical infrastructure or personnel.

In addition, ZNPP must not be used as a warehouse or base for storing heavy weapons, such as multiple rocket launchers, artillery systems, ammunition and tanks, or for military personnel to launch an attack from this plant.

At the initiative of the Head of the IAEA, all structures, systems and components necessary for the safe and secure operation of the ZNPP must be protected against attacks or acts of sabotage.

The IAEA will continue its activities in Ukraine to prevent nuclear material in the country from being used for military purposes. (TASS)

* Ukraine and its allies plan to host a world summit , excluding Russia, according to information published in German media on May 30.

The idea is to gain support for Kiev’s terms for ending the current conflict. The conference is still in its early stages, but has been strongly supported by European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron.

Kiev has said it will not be able to negotiate directly with Moscow as long as Russian troops are present in Ukraine, nor will it compromise on the country's territorial integrity. (The Wall Street Journal)

Korean Peninsula

* North Korea's first military reconnaissance satellite launch failed: On the morning of May 31, North Korea launched the Malligyong-1 military reconnaissance satellite mounted on a new Chollima-1 rocket at 6:27 a.m. (local time - 8:27 a.m. Vietnam time) as planned.

However, the Chollima-1 rocket carrying the satellite crashed into the Yellow Sea west of the Korean Peninsula after losing power due to an abnormal start-up of the second-stage engine during normal flight.

The initial cause of failure was believed to be because the new type of engine system applied to the "Cheollima-1" rocket had low stability and the fuel used also had unstable properties.

North Korea is thoroughly investigating the limitations and trying to overcome them to conduct a second launch as soon as possible.

South Korea said it is currently recovering debris from the crashed rocket, and predicted that North Korea could conduct another launch between May 31 and June 11. (Yonhap)

* US-Japan-Korea react strongly, UNSC does not remain silent: The US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) said that North Korea's satellite launch "blatantly violates" UNSC resolutions.

According to USINDOPACOM, the technologies used in this launch are related to North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program.

The White House has also condemned the launch and is coordinating with allies South Korea and Japan to closely monitor the situation.

Japan has lodged a protest through diplomatic channels and has put its missile defense systems on alert. Meanwhile, South Korea has also held an emergency meeting and condemned the incident.

Also on May 31, the UN Security Council issued a statement warning that any launch by North Korea using ballistic missile technology would violate the agency's resolutions. (Yonhap, Reuters)

* South Korea began the Eastern Endeavor 23 , a multinational maritime exercise aimed at preventing the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), on May 31.

The Eastern Endeavor 23, scaled back due to bad weather conditions, came after South Korea hosted a high-level forum of countries committed to preventing the trafficking of WMD under the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) on Jeju Island a day earlier.

The exercise involved procedures for exchanging information about a hypothetical vessel suspected of carrying WMD, tracking the vessel, followed by onboard search operations by South Korean Coast Guard personnel and others. (Yonhap)

Europe

* Serbia-Kosovo tensions: Amid ongoing tensions in Northern Kosovo, on May 31, Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic accused: "The security situation is extremely risky due to Kosovo's unilateral, illegal decisions, especially when it intends to occupy Northern Kosovo and Metohija."

Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in Kosovo (KFOR) has failed to protect Serbs in Kosovo despite existing guarantees.

Mr. Vucic expressed concern that the situation in Kosovo could develop in a very bad direction.

Recently, NATO announced that it will send 700 more soldiers to Kosovo and is ready to send another battalion if necessary to ensure security caused by the clashes in recent days. (TASS)

* EU calls for accelerating integration with Western Balkans amid escalating tensions in Kosovo.

“The recent tensions are of course worrying,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a security conference in Slovakia on May 31. “I call on all sides to stop confrontation and take steps to restore calm.”

Affirming the European Union's (EU) desire to "deliver some benefits" to "the people of the Western Balkans", Ms. von der Leyen presented a new development plan for the region that, according to her, is to "seize this crucial moment".

According to von der Leyen, the plan will include efforts to further integrate the Western Balkans into the EU single market, strengthen regional economic integration, accelerate judicial and anti-corruption reforms, and increase pre-accession funding. (Politico)

* Lithuania wants Germany to increase its presence on NATO's eastern flank, bordering Russia.

“It is a front line that must be very strong. We need air and missile defense systems as well as a larger presence of allied armed forces in the region,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is visiting Vilnius.

The Baltic state leader has high expectations for Berlin, stressing: “Germany's long-term commitment to Lithuania's security is essential for NATO's entire eastern flank.”

For its part, Lithuania is ready to do everything to make the German army feel “at home”. (DPA)

* Many places in Russia are on fire: Russian media reported that at around 8:50 a.m. (local time - 12:50 p.m. Hanoi time) on May 31, the Phoenix shopping center in the city of Orekhovo-Zuevo in Moscow province (suburbs of Moscow) caught fire, there is currently no information about casualties.

On the same day, Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said that a fire broke out at the Afipsky oil refinery in Kuban, the initial cause of which was believed to be a UAV attack.

Meanwhile, according to the Telegram channel “Shot” , a kamikaze UAV crashed in the area of ​​the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region at around 3:00 a.m. local time, but did not explode or catch fire. (TASS)

Asia

* China urges to stop obstructing reconciliation efforts in the Middle East: Speaking at a UNSC press conference on Syria on May 30, China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Geng Shuang said that outside countries should fully respect the will of Middle Eastern countries and their people.

According to Mr. Canh Shuang, Syria's recent re-entry into the Arab League (AL) not only creates new momentum for Arab countries to strengthen their strength through unity but also creates new opportunities for political reconciliation on the Syrian issue.

China expressed hope that all parties can seize the opportunity to strengthen dialogue and actively work with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen to promote the political process in the Middle Eastern country.

The Chinese diplomat also said that China has always supported the unity and recovery of Arab countries, actively supported Syria's return to the AL, and attracted relevant parties through its own channels. (THX)

* UAE withdraws from US-led maritime coalition : On the morning of May 31, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that two months ago, the country decided to withdraw from the US-led Middle East maritime security coalition.

This is the result of a continuous assessment of the effectiveness of security cooperation with all partners, however, the UAE is committed to engaging in the spirit of dialogue and diplomacy to promote regional security and stability, and is committed to ensuring maritime safety in the seas in accordance with international law. (Reuters)

* Thai Senate President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai denies interfering in who to vote for in the prime minister election.

He also added that the Forward Party (MFP - the party that won the most seats in the general election on May 14) has not approached him to call for support for leader Pita Limjaroenrat to become prime minister.

The Thai Senate President also downplayed reports that MFP supporters pressured senators to back Pita's prime ministerial bid, saying the pressure came only from social media.

According to him, the senators are mature enough to make their own decisions and put the best interests of the country first, and said they are ready to work with a new prime minister. (Bangkok Post)

America

* The South American Summit took place in the capital Brasilia (Brazil) on May 30 and issued a joint statement "Brazilian Consensus".

Accordingly, the leaders of 12 South American countries agreed to strengthen relations between countries, promote peace and cooperation based on dialogue and respect for the diversity of peoples, while identifying regional integration as an important part of solutions to face common challenges.

The countries are also determined to promote sustainable development, social equity, rule of law, institutional stability, sovereignty and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Several topics were also covered in the joint statement including promoting economic and social development, fighting poverty, inequality and discrimination.

Also at the Conference, Colombia announced that it will rejoin the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), an organization it withdrew from in 2018. (Vietnam News Agency)

Africa

* Sudanese army threatens to use lethal weapons: On May 30, Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan warned that the Sudanese army would use “lethal weapons” against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) if this paramilitary force did not “respond to the voice of reason”.

General Al-Burhan stressed that the Sudanese armed forces will always be ready to fight until victory.

General Al-Burhan also confirmed that the Sudanese army has agreed to extend the ceasefire agreement to facilitate the delivery of aid to the people.

Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) reaffirmed that there can be no military solution to the ongoing crisis in Sudan, which has led to an unprecedented humanitarian situation and blatant violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

The AU also continues to "firmly reject all forms of external interference in Sudan." (Vietnam News Agency)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-315-ukraine-nhan-qua-lon-nga-khong-bang-long-phan-ung-cua-my-ve-tinh-trieu-tien-lam-nong-my-nhat-han-229175.html