The world was “navigating a dark hour in our shared history” with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US President, Joe Biden, told key Asian allies.
The war has now become a “global issue”, underscoring the importance of defending international order, he said.
Japanese Prime Minister (PM,) Fumio Kishida, echoed his comments, saying that a similar invasion should not happen in Asia.
Mr Biden was meeting the leaders of Japan, Australia and India in Tokyo on his first visit to Asia as president.
The four countries known collectively as the Quad discussed security and economic concerns including China’s growing influence in the region – and differences over the Russian invasion.
Mr Biden’s comments came a day after he warned China that it was “flirting with danger” over Taiwan, and vowed to protect Taiwan militarily if China attacked, appearing to contradict a long-standing US policy on the issue.
It was later reported that Russian and Chinese warplanes had approached Japanese airspace as part of a joint military patrol, prompting Tokyo to announce it had scrambled jets in response.
Russian officials said the flight over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea was part of an annual military exercise.
Mr Kishida told a news conference that planning the exercise to coincide with today’s summit was “provocative”.
In his opening remarks at Tuesday’s summit, Mr Biden said their meeting was about “democracies versus autocracies, and we have to make sure that we deliver”.
The Ukraine war, he said, “is going to affect all parts of the world” as Russia’s blockade of Ukraine grain exports aggravated a global food crisis.
Mr Biden promised the US would work with allies to lead the global response, reiterating their commitment to defend international order and sovereignty “regardless of where they were violated in the world” and remaining a “strong and enduring partner” in the Indo-Pacific region.
After their meeting, Mr Kishida told reporters that all four countries,“including India” agreed on the importance of the rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity; and that “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force will never be tolerated”. -BBC
