Why Russia's invasion of Ukraine is an existential issue for Singapore

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan spoke in Parliament yesterday about the implications of the crisis. Here are edited excerpts of his speech.

We are witnessing an unprovoked military invasion of a sovereign state as we speak.

While Ukraine is far away from us, we are following the crisis with grave concern. Its economic effects can already be felt here, for example, in rising electricity and petrol prices. But these are not the principal reason the situation in Ukraine is important to us.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 01, 2022, with the headline Why Russia's invasion of Ukraine is an existential issue for Singapore. Subscribe