Ukraine shaken by missiles, Finland will have a new prime minister

The EU announced 'huge' aid to Ukraine, the US Secretary of State talked about China's spy balloon... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his host counterpart Olaf Scholz chaired bilateral intergovernmental consultations on June 20 in Berlin, Germany. (Source: AP)

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

* Russia destroys eight Ukrainian ammunition depots : On June 20, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces had attacked and destroyed eight ammunition depots across Ukraine in the past 24 hours, as well as repelling three Ukrainian attacks. Russian news agencies quoted the statement as saying that Kiev forces attempted to attack in the direction of Donetsk, south of Donetsk and the Zaporizhzhia region. On the same day, pro-Russian local authorities said that Ukraine used UAVs to attack the town of Nova Kakhovka in South Kherson, injuring three civilians.

Notably, TASS (Russia) quoted the statement of the same day by the country's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that Ukraine is planning to attack Crimea controlled by Moscow with the US's High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. However, he affirmed that if this scenario occurs, Russia will respond appropriately.

According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, attacking areas outside the “special military operation” zone with such weapons would mean that the US and Britain would be fully involved in the conflict. (Reuters)

* Ukraine: Russia launches large-scale airstrikes: On June 20, Ukrainian officials said that early the same day, Russia launched a large-scale airstrike targeting military facilities and infrastructure in Kiev and other cities. However, they said that defense forces shot down 32 out of 35 Iranian Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), launched from Russia's Bryansk region and the Sea of ​​Azov.

Kiev officials said Moscow also attacked the city of Zaporizhzhia with Iskander and S-300 systems. Yuriy Malashko, the head of the military administration there, said Russian missiles targeted telecommunications and agricultural infrastructure. (Reuters)

* EU to announce 50 billion euro aid package for Ukraine soon : On June 20, two senior European Union (EU) officials said that the bloc will announce a 50 billion euro (55 billion USD) aid package for Ukraine later in the day. The aid package, expected to be announced by European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, comes after reviewing the bloc's 2021-2027 budget and ahead of an international conference in London (UK) from June 21-22 on fundraising for Ukraine's reconstruction.

In addition, the aid package will include 33 billion euros in macro-financial assistance to help replenish Ukraine's state budget, according to one of the two senior officials. (Reuters)

* Czech Prime Minister: Ukraine conflict may be frozen : On June 20, speaking at the Security Conference in Prague (Czech Republic), Mr. Petr Fiala assessed the information about Ukraine's progress on the ground as "optimistic", but he did not think the conflict would end soon. The Czech leader said that this means the risk of Ukraine's forces, the ability to support this country, as well as the attention of Western countries will decrease. According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala, it is necessary to prevent this scenario, considering it a fundamental task of Western governments.

Also in his speech, the leader appreciated the Government’s agreement to increase investment in security, as demonstrated by the legal obligation to spend 2% of GDP on defense. Prime Minister Fiala said the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States was a “success.”

However, he stressed that the agreement does not “automatically” allow US troops to be stationed on Czech territory. The leader said: “If we want to remain one of the safest countries in the world, we must have the courage to do something. Our security depends directly on maintaining the international order based on respected agreements.” (VNA)

* US defense official: Ukraine could “pay a heavy price” in the counterattack campaign: On June 19, the New York Times and CBS News (USA) quoted US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, admitting that Ukrainian forces were facing fierce resistance and suffering many losses, both in terms of human casualties and in terms of tanks and other vehicles.

However, both officials said such difficulties were expected and that the counteroffensive “would likely take considerable time and be costly,” but would yield results in the long term. Meanwhile, they said, Russia was struggling with leadership unity and morale. The two U.S. defense officials stressed that success in Ukraine would require continued commitment and unity from the international coalition.

Meanwhile, the New York Times quoted other military experts as saying that Ukraine's initial efforts were aimed at drawing Russian reserve forces to areas under pressure, thereby exposing weaknesses in Russia's defenses. (CBS News/New York Times)

* The US wants to “ close ” the Chinese balloon incident : On June 20, in an interview with MSNBC (US) after a visit to China, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “We did what we needed to do to protect our interests. We said what we needed to say, clarified what we needed to clarify so that this incident would not happen again. So as long as it doesn’t happen, that chapter should be closed.”

For his part, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said that successful and responsible management of the US-China relationship would only be possible if it was a “two-way street.” According to him, asserting that all problems in the bilateral relationship were caused by one side “simply does not reflect reality.” (Reuters)

Russia-China

* Russia confident in relations with China: On June 20, answering a question about US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to Beijing, where he held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Our strategic partnership with China makes us confident that (Beijing's) development of relations with other countries will never be directed against our country." (Reuters)

Southeast Asia

* Philippines coordinates with China on fishing ban in the East Sea : On June 20, speaking to reporters after attending an event at the Philippine Department of Agriculture, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Manila and Beijing are "making progress on that issue."

In May, the leader announced that China had agreed to discuss the fishing rights of Filipino fishermen in the South China Sea, as he pushed for a “direct line of communication” between Manila and Beijing over maritime disputes. (Reuters)

South Asia

* Indian Prime Minister's comments on relations with the US : On June 19, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal (USA) ahead of his visit to Washington, Mr. Narendra Modi commented that bilateral relations are stronger and deeper than ever. This leader stated: "India deserves a higher, deeper and broader role." Officials from both sides assessed that the upcoming visit of the Indian Prime Minister to the US will be a turning point for the current bilateral relations. (Reuters)

* Pakistan - China cooperate to build nuclear power plant : On June 20, the China National Nuclear Cooperation Agency and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a cooperation agreement worth 4.8 billion USD. Accordingly, the two countries will cooperate to build the Chashma 5 nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts in the central province of Punjab, Pakistan.

“The Chinese investment in this $4.8 billion project sends a clear and significant message that Pakistan is a place where Chinese companies and investors continue to show their trust and confidence,” said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, adding that China’s support would help Pakistan transition away from its dependence on fossil fuels. (Reuters)

South Pacific

* Australia increases humanitarian assistance to Sudan : On June 19, the Office of the Australian Foreign Minister said at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Penny Wong said that the country will provide an additional 4.45 million AUD (3 million USD) to Sudan. This amount will be used to provide emergency food, water and medical supplies to the Sudanese people through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Previously, Australia pledged AUD 1 million (USD 680,000) to the International Committee of the Red Cross and AUD 5 million (USD 3.38 million) to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to provide humanitarian assistance in the region to help people fleeing the crisis in Sudan. (VNA)

Northeast Asia

* China launches new experimental satellite : On June 20, China launched a Long March 6 rocket to send a new experimental satellite into space. The rocket carrying the Shiyan-25 experimental satellite was launched at 11:18 a.m. (Beijing time) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi.

The satellite then successfully entered its designated orbit. The Shiyan-25 satellite is expected to be used to conduct new Earth observation technology experiments. This is the 477th launch of the Long March series of rockets. (Xinhua)

* Japanese Foreign Minister begins visit to UK , France : On June 20, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa began a 5-day visit to the UK and France. In the UK, Mr. Hayashi will attend the International Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine and is expected to deliver a message that Japan will actively contribute to the recovery of Ukraine, such as promoting private investment, public-private partnerships, and taking advantage of areas considered to be Japan's strengths such as mine clearance and infrastructure reconstruction.

In France, the diplomat will attend a conference to discuss the establishment of a new international development fund for developing countries. Mr. Hayashi is expected to present the Tokyo government's efforts on energy and climate change issues, and deliver a message about Japan's desire to strengthen cooperation with developing and emerging countries. (VNA)

Europe

* Germany, China discuss climate change and Ukraine : On June 20, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang chaired the China-Germany intergovernmental consultation.

According to Mr. Richard Walker, Head of the international editorial board of DW (Germany), combating climate change will be the main focus of the negotiations, while trade relations and the Russia-Ukraine conflict will also appear in the discussion content.

Earlier, Mr. Olaf Scholz hoped for an “important working meeting” within the framework of the consultation. For his part, Mr. Li Qiang also hoped that bilateral cooperation would deepen and bring “positive signals for the stability of the international supply chain and industry as well as the world’s peaceful prosperity.” (DW)

* Mr. Petteri Orpo was elected Prime Minister of Finland : On June 20, the new Finnish Parliament voted to support the leader of the National Coalition Party (NCP) Petteri Orpo to become Prime Minister. Speaking immediately after the vote, the politician said: "I warmly thank you for the trust you have shown me."

This was a widely predicted result. Thus, Mr. Orpo will lead a coalition consisting of the conservative NCP, the right-wing Finnish Party (FP), the Swedish People's Party and the Christian Democrats. These parties together won a majority of seats in the parliament in the general election on April 2.

The new Finance Minister is expected to be Rikka Purra, head of the Eurosceptic Finns Party. Meanwhile, NCP Vice President Elina Valtonen will become Finland's Foreign Minister. Mr. Orpo's government is expected to officially take office on the evening of June 20 (local time). (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* Qatar signs gas supply contract with China : On June 20, speaking at the contract signing ceremony in the capital Doha (Qatar), the country's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi, who is also CEO of the national energy group Qatar Energy, stated: "Doha will supply 4 million tons of natural gas from the North Field East Expansion Project to the Chinese partner each year for 27 years... This will be the second liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchase agreement with China within the framework of the North Field East Expansion Project."

By expanding the North Field, which holds the world's largest natural gas reserves and overlaps with Iran's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, Qatar will increase its LNG exports by 60 percent to 126 million tonnes by 2027. The two deals with China are considered the longest-running contracts in Doha's liquefied gas industry. China, Japan and South Korea are still Qatar's largest gas consumers. (VNA)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-206-ukraine-rung-chuyen-vi-ten-lua-phan-lan-se-co-thu-tuong-moi-231657.html