Ukraine boosts Southeast Asia ties with peace accord

Ukraine signed a peace accord on November 10 with Southeast Asian nations, a largely symbolic act that comes as Kyiv seeks to shore up international support in isolating Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba signed the “Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia” as the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations got under way in Phnom Penh. The Cambodian leader also pledged to support Ukraine's aspirations to become a “Sectoral Dialogue Partner” with ASEAN, a step toward the full "Dialogue Partnership" the group has with Russia, China, the United States and others. Ahead of the summit, Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said the inclusion of Ukraine was important, especially since Russia's invasion “has sent shockwaves throughout the Indo-Pacific, including Indo-Pacific economies, as we've seen through rising energy and food prices.” He told a panel hosted by Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies in late October that the U.S. would work with ASEAN to “ensure that Ukraine meaningfully participates and that the partners send a strong message that big countries cannot simply take what they want from smaller neighbors.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova dismissed questions about the significance of Ukraine’s presence at the meetings. U.S. President Joe Biden is attending the ASEAN and parallel East Asia Summit talks in person, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is not — with Moscow instead sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.