S. Korea joins US and others in condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine

Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit speaks at the opening ceremony of Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC 2022) in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday. REUTERS-Yonhap

South Korea, the United States and four other countries issued a joint statement condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine on the sidelines of a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Seoul's trade ministry said Sunday.

The statement, which was joined by Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, also expressed concerns over humanitarian situations in Ukraine and a food and energy crisis while calling for an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The six countries issued the statement at the end of the two-day APEC trade ministers' meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, though it was not a joint communique of APEC.

On Saturday, delegates of the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Australia walked out of an APEC trade ministers' meeting to protest Russia's aggression when Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov started delivering his remarks.

APEC, launched in 1989, is an inter-governmental framework among 21 member economies, including South Korea, the U.S., China and Japan, to promote free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. (Yonhap)

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