The Ukrainian crisis was the reason why the ASEAN summit in Cambodia did not take the form of a joint statement on the results of its work. In a speech Sunday in Cambodia, host of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the US and its allies of failing to reach an agreement because they “insisted on a completely unacceptable formula for the situation in Ukraine”.
Lavrov accused Washington of splitting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes 10 countries, and NATO, “NATO” of stepping up its activities in the region.
Lavrov said: “There is a clear trend towards the militarization of the region by coordinating the efforts of America’s local allies such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan through NATO expansion.”
According to media reports, the failure to come to a joint statement at the ASEAN meetings could lead to the same result at the G20 summit, which will be held in Indonesia on November 15-16.
The Russian military operation in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 24, has led to US and international sanctions against Moscow, which has rejected these sanctions and continues its military operation.
