Russia and Ukraine shot down several UAVs; Poland receives more HIMARS.

Russia explains its reasons for deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the ceasefire in Sudan is on the verge of collapse… these are some of the notable international news stories of the past 24 hours.

Poland has just received two more HIMARS systems from the United States. (Source: Wall Street Journal)

The World & Vietnam newspaper highlights some of the day's most prominent international news.

Russia-Ukraine

* Russia identifies Ukraine as behind Kremlin attack : On May 25, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, stated that Russia had determined from the outset that Ukraine was behind the drone attack on the Kremlin in early May. According to him, at the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Kyiv's responsibility, but "we immediately concluded that Kyiv was behind it."

Earlier, the New York Times, citing sources from US intelligence agencies, reported that while the exact perpetrators of the attack were unknown, it suggested that one of Ukraine's intelligence or military units may have orchestrated it. (Reuters)

* Crimean air defenses shoot down 6 UAVs : On May 25, writing on Telegram , the head of the Crimean administration, Sergei Aksyonov, stated: “Last night, 6 drones were shot down or intercepted... in various areas of Crimea.” The official also said that there were “no casualties.”

The incident occurred after Moscow deployed jets and artillery against an armed group that had crossed the border from Ukraine, in the most serious attack on Ukrainian territory since the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in February 2022. Earlier, on May 24, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia's Belgorod province, said the area had been targeted by drones overnight. (AFP)

* Ukraine shoots down all Russian UAVs attacking Kyiv: On May 25, Ukrainian officials announced that Russian forces launched their 12th and final three-hour UAV attack on Kyiv last night. Serhiy Popko, head of military forces in Kyiv, said: “It was a large-scale attack. The enemy continued to use tactics of attacking in multiple waves, with gaps between the attacking UAV groups.” However, Ukrainian air defense systems “destroyed all detected airborne targets moving toward Kyiv.” (AFP)

* Ukraine: Russian troops replace Wagner forces in the outskirts of Bakhmut : On May 25, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar stated that Russia had replaced the Wagner private military units with regular military forces in the outskirts of Bakhmut. However, members of the Wagner group remain in the city.

The statement by the Ukrainian official partly confirmed the announcement by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, that his troops had begun withdrawing from Bakhmut and handing over positions to regular forces. (Reuters)

* US Sells NASAMS System to Ukraine : On May 24, the US announced it had approved a $285 million sale of the NASAMS air defense system and related equipment to Ukraine. In a statement, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said: “Ukraine has an urgent need to enhance its defenses against Russian missile and aircraft attacks… Acquiring and effectively deploying this system will help Ukraine improve its ability to protect its people and critical infrastructure.” The US State Department approved the deal, and the DSCA has notified Congress as required. (AFP)

US-China

* US: China's ban on Micron "does not affect bilateral relations": On May 25, John Kirby, the White House National Security Council's Coordinator for Strategic Communications, stated that the recent ban by the Chinese government on the US chipmaker Micron due to security concerns is clearly an attempt to undermine the strong stance of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations against economic coercion, coming just one day after the G7 issued its first statement on the issue.

While affirming that the White House is in direct contact with the Chinese government, the official expressed hope that the incident would derail the White House's efforts to achieve a more effective relationship with Beijing. Kirby stressed that it is more important than ever to ensure "more open" lines of communication and that efforts are continuing to pave the way for visits to China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The Pentagon is also arranging a meeting between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore this coming June.

Additionally, the two sides are also discussing the possibility of a meeting between US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meeting in Detroit, Michigan, this week. (VNA)

* China Rejects Accusations of Spying on US Infrastructure : On May 25, speaking at a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated: "Related information from Western agencies is unfounded." Previously, Western intelligence and Microsoft reported that a hacking group, allegedly sponsored by the Chinese state, was spying on critical US infrastructure. (Reuters)

Southeast Asia

* US Refuses to Sell F-35s to Thailand : On May 25, Royal Thai Air Force spokesperson Marshall Prapas Sornchaidee stated that the sale of the fifth-generation fighter jets is subject to conditions including timeframes, technical requirements, and maintenance compatibility, therefore the US cannot deliver these aircraft to Thailand. He also noted that the Thai Air Force will still replace its F-16s and the US is ready to provide upgraded F-15 and F-16 models to expedite the transfer.

Last year, Thailand allocated 13.8 billion baht (US$407.68 million) to purchase new generation fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of F-5 and F-16 aircraft, also manufactured by the United States. Thailand is aiming to purchase eight F-35A aircraft from the US. (VNA)

Northeast Asia

* South Korea and Japan resume talks on energy cooperation : On May 25, the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced that South Korea and Japan held their first energy dialogue in six years at Busan port, South Korea. Both sides shared the importance of cooperation to enhance energy security and achieve net-zero emissions, and discussed the use of carbon-free energy sources such as nuclear and hydrogen power.

A MOTIE official said, “Both countries are heavily reliant on energy imports and have similar energy consumption patterns. Therefore, both sides see the need to strengthen policy coordination and cooperation in this area.” Further talks at the expert level in this area are expected. (Yonhap)

Europe

* Russia deploys tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus due to Western concerns : On May 25, TASS (Russia) quoted Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as emphasizing: “In light of the extremely serious escalation of the threat on the western border between Russia and Belarus, a decision has been made to take countermeasures in the military-nuclear field.” Earlier that day, he and his Belarusian counterpart signed a document on this matter. (Reuters/TASS)

* Russia summons German, Danish, and Swedish ambassadors over Nord Stream : On May 25, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced it had summoned the ambassadors of Germany, Sweden, and Denmark to protest the "completely fruitless" investigation into the explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022.

Earlier, on May 23, TASS quoted Bruno Kahl, Director of the German Federal Intelligence Agency (BND), as saying that no intelligence agency could currently identify the perpetrators of the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. (Reuters)

* EU suspends tariffs on Ukrainian goods for another year : On May 25, writing on Twitter , the European Council, a group of European Union (EU) governments, announced that at a meeting that day, EU trade ministers agreed to suspend restrictions on imports from Ukraine for another year.

Previously, in June 2022, the EU lifted tariffs and other restrictions for 12 months on goods from Ukraine. The suspension of all tariffs on imports from Ukraine led to complaints from agricultural organizations, culminating in Poland and Hungary banning imports of certain Ukrainian grains in April. (Reuters)

* Poland receives more HIMARS from the US : On May 24, writing on Twitter , the country's Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak confirmed: "Two more M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and components of the Patriot/IBCS system have arrived in Poland. The delivery, which began last week, is aimed at significantly strengthening Poland's air defense and missile artillery forces."

Previously, in 2019, Poland purchased the first 20 HIMARS systems worth $414 million from the United States. In mid-March 2023, Minister Mariusz Blaszczak also stated that the US Congress had approved Poland's order for another 500 launch mechanism modules (LLMs) for HIMARS, worth up to $10 billion. (Sputnik)

America

* The US has a new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff : On May 24th (local time), an unnamed US official revealed that President Joe Biden has chosen Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Q. Brown as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the second African American officer to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following Colin Powell two decades ago. According to the source, President Biden will officially announce his decision on May 25th.

The official said the move had been rumored for some time. Brown is a former fighter pilot with extensive experience in the Pacific, a region experiencing rising tensions between the U.S. and China. (Reuters)

* U.S.: Top China Policy Official Set to Resign: On May 24, four sources familiar with the matter said Rick Waters, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China and Taiwan, who heads the China Internal Affairs Policy section, announced his intention to resign during a staff meeting that day. However, Waters intends to remain at the U.S. State Department. Neither the State Department nor Waters immediately responded to requests for comment on the move. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* Iran unveils ballistic missile with 2,000 km range : On May 25, IRNA reported that the country had launched the fourth generation of the Khorramshahr ballistic missile, named Khaibar, with a range of 2,000 km and capable of carrying a 1.5-ton warhead. The Iranian news agency stated: “In a ceremony attended by the Minister of Defense today, Iran unveiled its newest ballistic missile, the latest product of the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) of the Ministry of Defense.” (Reuters)

* Ukraine declares it will promote its foreign policy on Africa: On May 25, speaking in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the predecessor organization of the African Union (AU), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “Recently, we adopted our first Africa strategy and strengthened political dialogue with many countries on the continent. This year, we will establish new embassies in different regions and plan to hold the first Ukraine-Africa Summit. I invite the leaders of your countries to participate in this important event.”

He added: “We want to develop a new, high-quality partnership based on three common principles: mutual respect, shared interests, and mutual benefit.” During his trip to Africa, the diplomat called on “our African friends” to end their neutral stance on the conflict in Ukraine. (AFP)

* Sudan: Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire : On the evening of May 24, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group stated that the Sudanese Army “launched unacceptable attacks today.” The group also affirmed that it had “resolutely repelled these attacks.”

Meanwhile, on the morning of May 25, the Sudanese army asserted that it had “responded to an attack on RSF armored vehicles, a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.” Previously, the week-long ceasefire, which began on May 22, was allegedly violated just minutes after it came into effect.

Residents of the capital Khartoum have reported airstrikes and shelling rocking the city. Since then, violations of the ceasefire agreement have continued. This is the latest in a series of ceasefires that have been systematically violated. (AFP)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-255-nga-ukraine-ban-ha-nhieu-uav-ba-lan-nhan-them-himars-228529.html