Many APEC Leaders Condemn Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Bangkok, Nov. 18 (Jiji Press)--Many leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum blamed Russia's invasion of Ukraine for shaking global food and energy security, on the first day Friday of their two-day summit in Bangkok.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged Russia to stop the invasion immediately, saying that it is putting a brake on efforts by the regional and global economy to recover from the COVID-19 fallout.

He reiterated Japan's opposition to using or threatening to use nuclear weapons in Russia's war in Ukraine.

Other participants of the APEC summit include U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Russian President Vladimir Putin was absent.

A joint statement from Thursday's APEC ministerial meeting, released Friday, said, "Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]