The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, will visit New Delhi this week to hold talks on several bilateral issues and energy cooperation. The US official is also expected to discuss possible dates with India for the Quad Summit with Australia and Japan. Additionally, Lu will participate in the closed-door US-India Forum organised by think tank Ananta Centre along with US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Pentagon officials and other officials from the White House National Security Council. From the Indian side, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan will address the forum, which will be held from 27-29 January.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) following the crash of a Russian Il-76 transport plane, which was reportedly carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), in Belgorod Oblast on Wednesday. Russian authorities initially reported that the plane had crashed, and then claimed that 65 Ukrainian POWs were on board. Lavrov denounced the plane crash as a “terrorist attack” and blamed Ukraine.
The Indian Ministry of Defence inked a contract worth $128 million with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. (MDL), Mumbai, for the purchase of 14 Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) for the Indian Coast Guard. MDL will design, develop, and build these multi-role FPVs domestically. These FPVs will have a variety of high-tech, cutting-edge features and equipment, such as wirelessly controlled remote water rescue craft lifebuoy, multifunctional drones, and artificial intelligence capabilities, and are expected to be delivered in 63 months.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday that China and Pakistan are “all-weather strategic cooperative partners.” He said that China is prepared to upgrade the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and stands ready to work with Pakistan to deliver on the important agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries. Additionally, he highlighted that Beijing supports Islamabad in defending its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and supports its unity.
Hungarian PM Viktor Orban assured NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg over the phone on Wednesday that his government supports Sweden’s membership in the US-led military alliance. “I reaffirmed that the Hungarian government supports the NATO membership of #Sweden,” Orban wrote on X. The Hungarian leader added that he would continue to urge the Hungarian national assembly to vote in favour of Sweden’s NATO accession and complete the ratification process soon.
On Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced a military operation against US warships in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the movement’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saria, said on Telegram. “A clash with several destroyers and US warships, who tried to protect two US commercial vessels, occurred in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The result was a direct hit of a US warship,” the spokesperson stated.