UN Secretary-General António Guterres attends a Security Council meeting on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation on March 18. (Source: UN News)

Russia-Ukraine

* UAVs help Ukraine gain an advantage over Russia: On the evening of March 18, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is an important factor that gives Kiev a "qualitative advantage" over a Russian force that is "superior in quantity".

Military analysts say UAVs could potentially give Ukraine a technological edge over Moscow, given Kiev's lack of artillery shells and other traditional weapons.

As UAVs get smaller, more dangerous and able to travel farther, Ukraine has used them to attack oil refineries in Russia in recent months, knocking out about 7% of the country’s refining capacity in the first quarter.

UAVs are among Ukraine's top 10 imports, with Kiev spending $441 million on UAVs in all of 2023, or 0.7% of the country's total imports.

According to the Ukrainian Customs Service, in January 2024 alone, Ukraine purchased UAVs worth a total of $99 million, accounting for about 2% of its import turnover. (Reuters)

* US will not let Ukraine fail: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged on March 19 that Washington will not let Ukraine fail, even as the next aid package remains stalled in Congress and Kiev forces face ammunition shortages.

Mr. Austin made the statement while speaking to reporters at the opening of a meeting in Germany with the international community supporting Ukraine. (AFP)

* Germany and Poland plan to increase ammunition production for Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Władysław Kosiniak Kamysz on March 18.

Minister Pistorius also noted the desire of the two countries to “bring logistics centers closer to Ukraine.” (Sputnik)

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Arms control

* The UN calls on countries to disarm nuclear weapons: On March 18, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that nuclear weapons are the most destructive weapons ever invented, capable of destroying all life on Earth.

According to him, the only way to prevent this is to disarm nuclear weapons, especially countries that possess these weapons need to take the lead in disarming in six areas.

Areas include enhancing transparency and confidence-building measures to prevent the use of nuclear weapons; ceasing to threaten the use of nuclear weapons; reaffirming the commitment not to conduct nuclear tests to strengthen the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty; moving from commitments to concrete actions on nuclear disarmament under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; committing to not be a first-use state under any circumstances; and pursuing reductions in the number of nuclear weapons.

Mr. Guterres also warned of the increasing risk of nuclear war due to current geopolitical tensions and called on the Security Council to act towards a world without this destructive tool.

* US proposes arms control negotiations with Russia, China: On March 18, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that Washington has proposed to Moscow and Beijing to start negotiations on arms control "without preconditions".

However, Russia believes that under the above initiative, Moscow is currently being asked to conduct dialogue under Washington's conditions and only on issues related to the US.

Russia reaffirms its readiness to engage in a comprehensive dialogue that takes into account all factors of the country's strategic stability and eliminates all concerns that Moscow has. (Sputnik)

* China calls on the US to end "microphone diplomacy" on arms control, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.

According to Mr. Lam, China and the US "have dialogue channels on arms control and nuclear non-proliferation," noting that countries with the largest nuclear arsenals must reduce their size to promote the international arms control process. (Sputnik)

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Europe

* Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China in May for talks with host President Xi Jinping, according to five sources familiar with the matter. This could be the Kremlin chief's first foreign trip of his new presidency.

Two of the five sources also noted that Mr. Putin's visit will come before Mr. Xi's planned trip to Europe.

China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while the Kremlin said Russia was planning several foreign trips for Putin and was holding high-level contacts to prepare for them.

* The EU will impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus to appease farmers in the European Union (EU) and some member states.

The European Commission is expected to impose a 95 euro ($103.26) per tonne tariff on grain from Russia and Belarus in the coming days, while a 50% tariff will also be imposed on oilseeds and their products, a source familiar with the matter said. (Financial Times)

* EU agrees to sanction 30 Russians over the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The EU will follow the US and UK in imposing travel bans and asset freezes on prison officials responsible for Mr Navalny's treatment, officials said.

The names of those on the blacklist will be announced once the measures are formally implemented in the coming days. (AFP)

* NATO has started construction of the largest military base in Europe in Romania, covering an area of ​​over 2,800 hectares to permanently deploy up to 10,000 NATO soldiers and their families. The total construction cost is estimated at around 2.5 billion Euros.

The base will have airstrips, weapons storage, hangars as well as social infrastructure: schools, kindergartens, shops and hospitals.

In terms of size, the new NATO base in Romania is significantly larger than the Deveselu 99 military base, which hosts elements of the US Aegis Ashore missile defense system, and even larger than the US Air Force base in Ramstein, Germany. (Newsweek)

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Asia-Pacific

* Indonesia has deployed nearly 5,000 police officers to ensure the national vote counting process until the 2024 election results are announced on March 20. Along with the nearly 5,000 police officers, other military and security forces will also participate in maintaining order.

The move comes as activist groups plan to stage protests, with some groups such as the Joint Alliance of Students, Youth and Scholars set to demonstrate in front of the National Assembly building. (Tempo)

* US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Philippines on March 18 and had a meeting with his host counterpart Enrique Manalo on March 19.

At a joint press conference between the two foreign ministers, Mr. Manalo said that the challenge ahead is how to maintain and further strengthen the relationship between the Philippines and its long-term ally, the United States.

Regarding maritime tensions with China, Mr. Manalo affirmed that Manila is committed to resolving disputes in a rules-based order.

For his part, Secretary of State Blinken expressed concern about the tensions and stressed that the waterways are "very important to the interests of the region, the United States and the world." (Reuters)

* Australia pledges to pursue stable relations with China: Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will meet with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Canberra on March 20.

The two foreign ministers will hold the 7th Australia-China Strategic and Diplomatic Dialogue, a long-standing mechanism to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed her wish to have a frank exchange of views on common interests, differences and the respective roles of Australia and China in maintaining a peaceful, stable and secure region.

The Australian Government affirms that it will continue to pursue a stable and constructive relationship with China because this is in the interests of both countries.

Australia's approach has been consistent: to seek to cooperate with China where possible, to disagree where necessary, and to engage in Australia's national interest. (Barrons)

* The 2nd Japan-Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue opened on March 19 in Tokyo, lasting for 2 days.

At the meeting, Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru and his counterparts will reaffirm the importance of a free, open and sustainable maritime order based on the rule of law.

The meetings come ahead of the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders' Meeting scheduled for July in Tokyo, which will be attended by Japan along with 18 countries and territories, including Australia and New Zealand. (Kyodo)

* North Korea conducted a drill using 600mm super-large multiple rocket launchers on March 18, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un directed the training and ordered: “The destructive strike means possessed by the army should more thoroughly accomplish the task of preventing and stopping the possibility of war with perfect readiness in any situation to destroy the enemy’s capital and military force structure.” (Yonhap)

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Middle East-Africa

* British Deputy Prime Minister calls for "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza : On March 19, British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden urged Israel to comply with international humanitarian law and also raised concerns about aid to Gaza, where a humanitarian crisis is raging after 6 months of fighting.

Besides, Mr. Dowden also emphasized: "I continue to support Israel's right to self-defense, not only for their own benefit but I think the whole world should stand up against this barbaric act (Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7)".

However, the British Deputy Prime Minister called on Israel to "show restraint and balance in the way it pursues its legitimate fight against Hamas. (Reuters)

* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with US President Joe Biden , in which he pledged to achieve all goals in the fight against Hamas, including eliminating the movement, releasing all hostages and “ensuring that Gaza will never be a threat to Israel”.

Mr. Netanyahu also emphasized that providing “essential humanitarian aid helps achieve these goals.”

Meanwhile, President Biden has spoken out strongly about the impact of Israel's war in Gaza on civilians, warning in particular that a major assault on Rafah would be a "mistake," but President Biden remains committed to the goal of defeating Hamas. (Reuters, Al Jazeera)

* Israeli and Hamas negotiators have proposed "some compromises" on a ceasefire in Gaza and are discussing details of a deal to establish a temporary ceasefire at talks in Doha, Qatar, Axios news agency reported.

So far, only a negotiating framework has been laid out, but the parties are currently discussing the details of a possible agreement.

The current proposal would see a six-week ceasefire in Gaza and the release of 40 hostages, including women, female soldiers, men over 50 and men in critical health conditions, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

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America

* Panama-Nicaragua diplomatic tensions: On March 18, the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEP) accused the Nicaraguan government of interfering in its internal affairs.

Accordingly, the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama continues to grant political asylum to former Panamanian President Ricardo Alberto Martinelli (term 2009-2014).

MEPs stressed that Nicaragua's move caused tension and went against the common perception between the two Central American countries.

The Panamanian government demands that Nicaragua comply with its international obligations and ensure that its diplomatic mission in Panama functions properly as set out in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. (AP)