The US is said to be sending cluster bombs to Ukraine, which has raised some concerns - Photo: Cluster bomb shells were discovered near the city of Avdiivka, Ukraine on March 23, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)

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

Russia-Ukraine

* Russia : Ukraine wants to draw NATO into the war : On July 6, writing on Telegram , Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said: "We call on the Kiev government to take responsibility and take action... to avoid a large-scale disaster. The Western ruling elite should understand that the failure on the ground makes Kiev very eager to create a pretext to deploy NATO forces to Ukraine, exaggerating the regional conflict into World War III."

The diplomat also asserted that the news that the Russian Armed Forces (VS RF) are preparing to attack the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is absurd, because Russian citizens are still working there. (TASS)

* Ukraine requests to join CPTPP : On July 7, Japan said that Ukraine has sent a request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to New Zealand, the country in charge of receiving requests to join the bloc.

Economy Minister Shigeyuki Goto also said the country, as a CPTPP member, “must carefully assess whether Ukraine fully meets the agreement’s high level” of market access and rules.

The CPTPP was established in 2018 and currently includes 12 members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and Vietnam. After the UK became the 12th member, the CPTPP has become a market of more than 500 million people with a total GDP exceeding 13,600 billion USD. (Reuters)

* VSU reports new developments near Bakhmut : On July 7, Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU), said: “The defense forces continue to maintain the initiative, put pressure on the enemy, launch new attacks, advance along the northern and southern flanks. In particular, over the past day, they have advanced more than one kilometer.” According to him, the VSU has had “partial success” near the village of Klishchiivka, southwest of the Bakhmut area.

Earlier, Ukrainian military analysts said that the capture of Klishchiivka would help the country regain Bakhmut, which has been under Russian control since May. However, RIA (Russia) cited a source in VS RF as saying that Moscow's forces had repelled a Kiev attack on Klishchiivka and were working to dislodge the remaining Ukrainian troops in the area. (Reuters)

* Ukraine wants to buy two nuclear reactors from Bulgaria : On July 6, speaking after the delegation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made its first visit to Sofia, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said: “We have started serious negotiations on using reactors from the Belene nuclear power plant - for a plant in Ukraine.

This is just the beginning of the negotiations, as many technical, financial and economic parameters need to be discussed.” Previously, two reactors Bulgaria bought from Russia more than five years ago were used for the Belene nuclear power plant project, which has now been abandoned because Russia is no longer involved in the construction of the reactors and Bulgaria cannot pay its own bills.

A majority of Bulgarian lawmakers have agreed to give Sofia 30 days to negotiate the sale of the nuclear reactors to Kiev for 600 million euros – the price Bulgaria’s state-owned National Electricity Company paid Russia’s Atomstroyexport for the two reactors, steam generators and the rest of the equipment. (Euractiv)

* The US has decided to provide cluster bombs to Ukraine , what did Germany say? On July 7, some informed sources said on July 7 that the administration of US President Joe Biden has decided to provide thousands of cluster bombs to Ukraine in a new military aid package worth up to 800 million USD to.

US officials said they expect the military aid to Ukraine to be announced on July 7 (local time). The weapons will be drawn from the Pentagon's stockpile and will include infantry fighting vehicles, Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, and a variety of ammunition such as howitzer rounds and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

For her part, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin was opposed to sending cluster munitions to Ukraine. At a climate conference in Vienna, Austria on July 7, she commented: “I have followed the media reports. For us, as a member state, the Oslo agreement applies.”

More than two-thirds of NATO’s 30 nations have signed the 2010 Convention on Cluster Munitions, raising concerns about the attitude of US allies and the potential for the issue to cause divisions within the West. (Reuters/RT)

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* The US wants healthy competition with China : On July 7, meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during a visit to Beijing, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen emphasized: "We seek healthy economic competition. What we need is a fair set of rules that can benefit both over time, instead of the 'winner takes all' mentality."

Hoping the visit would promote more regular bilateral communication channels, she said both the world's two largest economies had a duty to "show leadership" on global challenges such as climate change. (Reuters)

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* Russia criticizes US statement on flight safety in Syria : On July 6, in a speech to the media and posted on Telegram , Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov commented on the information that US soldiers hindered US efforts in the fight against terrorism in Syria.

“We believe that such remarks, sometimes going beyond the bounds of decency, regarding the highly professional actions of Russian servicemen in Syria are unjustified,” he said.

They divert attention from the fact that the Americans themselves violate flight safety rules in Syrian airspace every day.” The Russian diplomat also accused the US troops of “being deployed in the Arab Republic in contravention of international law.”

Earlier, the US Air Forces Central Command accused pilots of Russian fighter jets of “unprofessional behavior” in Syrian airspace over the past two days. In response, Moscow officials have repeatedly accused US forces of violating deconfliction protocols in Syria. (Sputnik)

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South Asia

* New Zealand will have a “ tough dialogue ” with China : On July 7, speaking at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs (about relations with China), Prime Minister Chris Hipkins stated: “A strong, mature and complex relationship means we will have difficult conversations... but I think dialogue is better than not doing it.”

Late last month, at a meeting between him and his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang, the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields and promote bilateral economic, trade and investment relations. Representatives from China and New Zealand also signed a series of cooperation agreements on trade, agriculture, forestry, education, science and innovation. (Reuters)

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Northeast Asia

* Japan protests South Korea's military drills near Dokdo/Takeshima: On July 7, the Japanese Foreign Ministry summoned a senior diplomat at the South Korean Embassy to protest the military drills by Seoul forces near Dokdo/Takeshima islands.

“Takeshima is undoubtedly Japan’s inherent territory based on historical facts and international law,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The South Korean military exercise is unacceptable and extremely regrettable.” The Japanese Embassy in Seoul also issued a similar statement.

Earlier in the day, Seoul's defense officials said last month the country conducted regular military exercises to bolster its defense capabilities around the Dokdo islets, which Japan also claims and calls Takeshima. The two East Asian neighbors have long been in a dispute over the sovereignty of the islets in the Sea of ​​Japan. (Reuters)

* South Korea: Impact of Fukushima wastewater discharge is “ insignificant ” : On July 7, South Korean Minister for Policy Coordination Bang Moon Kyu said that the country has separately evaluated the plan to discharge wastewater from Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant.

South Korea found that Japan would meet or exceed key international standards, he said. The study focused on whether the discharge would affect South Korean waters and found it would cause “negligible consequences,” the official said. (AFP)

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Europe

* Three countries sign Memorandum of Understanding on European Sky Shield Initiative : The Swiss government announced on July 7 that the defense ministers of Switzerland, Germany and Austria have signed a memorandum of understanding on participating in the European Sky Shield Initiative. This is a joint air defense plan established by Germany in 2022 to strengthen Europe's air defense capabilities, an issue that has become more of a focus since the conflict in Ukraine broke out. (Reuters)

* Russian nuclear warheads have arrived in Belarus: President Alexander Lukashenko said on July 6 that a certain number of Russian nuclear warheads have arrived in Belarus and the delivery will be completed by the end of this year at the latest. Emphasizing that Belarus has no plans for a nuclear attack, Lukashenko also asserted that the country would “react immediately” if provoked. (NHK)

* Germany seeks to increase troops in Kosovo : On July 7, answering reporters after a meeting with the Austrian and Swiss Defense Ministers in Bern (Switzerland), German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin could send more troops to reinforce NATO's KFOR peacekeeping mission in Pristina after weeks of violence in areas mainly populated by Serbs.

“At the request of my Austrian colleague Klaudia (Tanner), we are now looking into whether we can slightly increase our involvement in the current (parliamentary) term to relieve Austria,” the official said. (Reuters)

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Middle East-Africa

* Marches against judicial reform continue in Israel : On July 6, marches against the judicial reform plan took place outside the homes of many parliamentarians and high-ranking officials of the Jewish State such as MP Boaz Bismuth; Minister of Education Yoav Kisch; Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Ofir Akunis; Minister of Migrant Affairs Amichai Chikli; Minister of Intelligence Gila Gamliel; Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana; Minister of Agriculture Avi Dichter; Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Minister of Health Moshe Arbel.

Two protesters were arrested outside the home of Parliament Speaker Amir Ohana, and four were arrested outside the home of Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel. Protesters also blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv twice. (Jerusalem Post)