Consequences of the War in Ukraine Affect All Countries

The EU's foreign minister said on Monday that the consequences of the war in Ukraine affect all countries, during a meeting in Laos with Southeast Asian foreign ministers.

"I am aware that Russia's aggression against Ukraine may seem very distant from Asia, but the consequences, whether in the form of inflation or rising food and oil prices, are felt by all our peoples," Josep Borrell said in his opening speech at the meeting.

The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said the "Ukrainian struggle is existential" for Europe and attacked Russia for "efforts to spread disinformation".

"The EU is doing everything in its power to support Ukraine's efforts to maintain territorial integrity and condemns the acts of violence inflicted by Russian forces against the civilian population," said Borrell, who is due to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov at a multilateral meeting on Saturday.

Several countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have good relations with Moscow, and these have not been affected by the armed conflict in Europe.

In Vientiane, the EU representative acknowledged the importance of the partnership with ASEAN in terms of "trade, security and the environment", among other areas, and pointed to the European bloc as an example of the "unifying power of regional integration".

"It seems like a paradox, but giving up sovereignty in some areas allows small countries to play a more influential role in the world, much more than they could have otherwise," said Borrell, as ASEAN works to complete economic integration by 2025.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Burma, and has established a roadmap for the inclusion of Timor-Leste.

The Southeast Asian bloc has a population of around 647 million and aims to increase its combined gross domestic product (GDP) to $4.7 trillion (€4.3 trillion) by 2025, making it the world's fourth-largest economic power.