Quad leaders agree what Ukraine experiencing should not be allowed in Indo-Pacific - Japan's Kishida

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan March 3, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool

TOKYO (Reuters) - Leaders of the Quad grouping of countries -- the United States, India, Australia and Japan -- agreed on Thursday that what's happening to Ukraine should not be allowed to happen in the Indo-Pacific, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

"We've agreed that unilateral changes to the status quo with force like this should not be allowed in the Indo-Pacific region," Kishida said, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We've also agreed this development makes it even more important to work toward realising a free and open Indo-Pacific," Kishida told reporters after the virtual meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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