The Quad Should Speak Out Against Russia’s Aggression Toward Ukraine

The United States should broaden its efforts to restrain Russia from seizing Ukrainian territory by looking for support beyond Europe and NATO to its Indo-Pacific partners in the Quad, a four-state group composed of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. This is especially important because China is closely monitoring the international response to Russia’s aggression and will calibrate its behavior in Asia accordingly.

The potential Russian invasion of Ukraine is one of the Biden administration’s most acute foreign policy challenges. U.S. intelligence warns Russia is planning an offensive against Ukraine as soon as early next year involving as many as 175,000 troops. Such action would violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and undermine fundamental norms of international law.

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed “deep concern” to Russian President Vladimir Putin and warned the United States and its allies “would respond with strong economic and other measures” if Russia takes military action. Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with NATO foreign ministers to emphasize the importance of alliance unity in bolstering Ukraine against Russian aggression.

The transatlantic democracies recognize that this situation threatens the rules-based international order, even if it does not threaten their own territories directly. The G-7 countries, which include Japan, issued a statement condemning “Russia’s military build-up and aggressive rhetoric toward Ukraine” and reaffirming their “unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

It is time for the Indo-Pacific democracies to address this crisis and recognize that Russian actions against Ukraine could have implications for their region’s security as well.

See the entire article at Foreign Policy using this link.