US ship arrives in Odessa port; EU urges to avoid military intervention in Venezuela
(Baonghean.vn) - Russia is ready to provide more modern weapons to Vietnam; North Korea's nuclear reactor stops operating before the Trump - Kim summit; US destroyer is present at Odessa port to intimidate Russia; EU calls on countries to avoid military intervention in Venezuela... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
US destroyer present in Odessa port to show Russia's strength
 |
| Photo: US Navy |
The presence in the port of Odessa of a US destroyer capable of carrying up to 56 Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 1,600 km is an attempt to intimidate Russia, - commented Frant Klintsevich, a member of the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council.
Earlier, US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch noted that the visit of the missile destroyer "Donald Cook" to Odessa will demonstrate the strength of the partnership between Ukraine and the United States. On Monday, the Odessa newspaper "Dumskaya" wrote that the US missile destroyer "Donald Cook" entered the commercial seaport of Odessa that morning and stayed there for three days. In the opinion of the Senator, the presence in the seaport of the destroyer capable of carrying up to 56 "Tomahawk" cruise missiles with a range of 1,600 km is a blatant demonstration of US military power and a move to intimidate Russia.
North Korea nuclear reactor shut down ahead of Trump-Kim summit
|
Cooling tower at Yongbyon nuclear complex, North Korea destroyed in June 2008. Photo:AP. |
"There is no indication from satellite imagery that the reactor is operating,"YonhapCiting information from 38 North, a US-based website that monitors North Korea's activities, referring to the 5-megawatt nuclear reactor at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex. "There is no steam coming from the generator area, nor is there any sign of hot water at the reactor cooling system exhaust," 38 North explained.
The analysis was based on satellite imagery of the 5-megawatt reactor and other nearby facilities taken between February 11 and February 21. 38 North experts noted that they still detected signs of ongoing maintenance work around the reactor, such as movement of vehicles and personnel and dredging around the cooling system. However, the experts remain unclear about the purpose of these activities.
Russia is ready to provide more modern weapons to Vietnam.
|
Missile frigate 015 Tran Hung Dao was built by Russia for Vietnam. Photo:Twitter. |
The Russian Foreign Minister affirmed that his country is ready to meet Vietnam's need for weapons and equipment to protect its sovereignty and security. "Defense cooperation always plays an important role in the relationship between the two countries. We are ready to meet Vietnam's need for modern weapons, to help Vietnam maintain security and protect its sovereignty,"TASSquoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaking in an interview. Foreign Minister Lavrov highlighted the Vietnam-Russia strategic relationship, asserting that Moscow highly values its relationship with Hanoi, and said that the two countries have effectively cooperated in the field of cyber security.
Defense cooperation between the two countries has been going on for decades, is traditional in nature and is not directed against any third country. In 2017, Russia delivered many modern military equipment to Vietnam, such as the last two in the contract to buy 6 Project 636 "Varshavyanka" (Kilo class) submarines, and two Project 11661 "Gepard" frigates.
Trump will delay the deadline for increasing tariffs on China
 |
| US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on February 24 - Photo: Reuters |
AP news agency quoted the US president's announcement on February 24 that he would extend the deadline for imposing additional tariffs on Chinese imports, citing "significant progress" made in talks between the two countries last weekend in Washington.
Mr Trump said on Twitter that there had been “productive talks” on some of the tough issues that divide the US and China, adding that “I will be delaying the increase in US tariffs currently scheduled to take effect on March 1st”. Mr Trump said that if the talks progressed, he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his family’s resort in Florida to finalise the deal.
EU calls on countries to avoid military intervention in Venezuela
 |
| Venezuelan police block radical protesters at the border area between Venezuela and Colombia on February 23. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
According to AFP, on February 25, the spokesperson for the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (EU) Federica Mogherini, Ms. Maja Kocijanic, called on countries to avoid military intervention in Venezuela. Speaking to the press, Ms. Kocijanic emphasized: "We need to avoid a military intervention."
The statement was made as Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido was in Colombia's capital Bogota to hold talks with allies in the Lima Group (13 Latin American countries and Canada) on measures to force President Nicolas Maduro to step down.
Ireland says it will not veto Brexit deadline extension proposal
 |
| Britain's departure from the EU is near. Photo: Norton Rose Fulbright |
On February 25, Ireland announced that it would not veto the UK's proposal to extend the Brexit deadline by 21 months, but wanted to see the current issues surrounding the Brexit agreement resolved satisfactorily.
Speaking after his speech to the UN Human Rights Council, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Conveney said: "We have said consistently that if there is a proposal for an extension and a plan that shows that the parties are working to resolve the outstanding issues, Ireland will certainly never stand in the way. In fact, I think the focus should be on resolving the outstanding issues at this stage rather than extending Article 50 on Brexit."
Russia, US promote the establishment of a mechanism to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan
 |
| The scene of the attack carried out by Taliban insurgents in Bodana Qala village, Balkh province, Afghanistan, January 29. Photo: THX/TTXVN |
According to Sputniknews, on February 25, Mr. Zamir Kabulov, Director of the 2nd Asian Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry and also the Russian President's special envoy on Afghanistan, said that Moscow and Washington have agreed to promote the establishment of a separate mechanism on the Afghan peace process.
"We have discussed with our US counterpart Zalmay Khalilzad the feasibility of establishing such a mechanism. We will move forward with this issue," Kabulov said in an interview with Rossiya 24 television station. According to the official, the US is ready to cooperate with Russia to resolve the Afghanistan issue and the format of this cooperation is being discussed.
