Kishida: Quad forces, including India, express concern over war in Ukraine

Quad leaders, including India, have expressed concern over the situation in Ukraine during a meeting in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said today.

“The four leaders had an honest discussion on the implications of the Ukrainian situation in the Indo-Pacific region and we, including India, expressed our concern about the tragic war in Ukraine and reaffirmed that principles such as the rule of law, sovereignty and “Territorial integrity must be respected in every region,” he said.

“At a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shaken the fundamental principles of the world order, the leaders of Australia, India and the United States and I agree that unilateral efforts to change the status quo by force will not be tolerated. “Nowhere, especially in the Indo-Pacific region,” he added.

Kishida made the remarks after meeting with three other Quad leaders.

India’s stance has angered the United States, with Washington accusing New Delhi of not supporting Western sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden said the crisis in Ukraine was a global issue that reinforced the importance of maintaining world order, territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“It’s more than a European issue, it’s a global issue,” Biden said, referring to the war in Ukraine at the start of a Quad summit involving the leaders of Australia, India and Japan.

The US President also stressed that Washington will stand by its allies and push for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

“We must always stand up for international law, for human rights everywhere in the world,” Biden said.

For his part, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted that during the Quad summit, the four leaders expressed “strong views” on Russia.

“Unilateral, illegal, immoral attack on the people of Ukraine is shameful and the atrocities committed against innocent civilians are something we did not expect in the 21st century,” he said.