This brief examines the response of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to the prolonged Ukraine war. ASEAN’s approach is viewed from two perspectives: how individual member states have responded, and the stance that the grouping itself has taken. In the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion in February this year, the ASEAN statement was insipid; it underlined the importance of the principles of ‘mutual respect for sovereignty’ and ‘territorial integrity’ but avoided a direct condemnation of Russia’s actions. This brief ponders the impact of ASEAN’s response, and those of specific member states, on the principle of ‘ASEAN centrality’, as well as the group’s standing in the evolving dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region.
Understanding ASEAN’s Non-Linear Approach to the Russia-Ukraine War | ORF (orfonline.org)
