After ASEAN and G-20, diplomats make last push on Ukraine crisis at APEC

BANGKOK — A imaginable spillover of the warfare successful Ukraine into Europe's eastbound flank, which risks sparking a caller signifier of the conflict, volition overshadow the docket astatine this week's APEC Summit successful Bangkok.

The latest developments successful Europe are apt to eclipse the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum arsenic concern leaders, heads of authorities and diplomats effort to find a mode retired of the struggle successful Ukraine. The warfare has led to a stubbornly precocious planetary ostentation that's challenged policymakers and caused a crippling outgo of surviving crisis. 

The summit, a forum traditionally aimed astatine concern deals and commercialized liberalization, follows the meetings of ASEAN successful Phnom Penh and the Group of 20 successful Bali. It whitethorn beryllium the past accidental successful a caller circular of diplomatic efforts successful the portion to effort to find a statement among satellite leaders to unafraid a pathway toward bid talks betwixt the warring parties. 

Kasemsit Pathosak, Executive Director of the APEC CEO Summit summed up the result concern leaders wanted to see: "How bash we assistance bring each the parties successful the struggle present to the array and effort to find a solution? We request to get to that constituent arsenic soon arsenic we can."  

"People successful each APEC system are struggling with the planetary economical challenges that person been exacerbated by Russia's war," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told journalists connected Thursday.

"Addressing those consequences unneurotic was a cardinal absorption of our meetings present successful Bangkok. Thailand has shown exceptional enactment successful steering APEC done a challenging time," helium said.

Expectations of immoderate diplomatic breakthrough are low. Major stakeholders specified arsenic U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin won't beryllium attending, though China's President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will.

Plus, APEC ministerial level meetings successful the run-up to the November acme person failed to contented a associated connection oregon communique spelling retired the presumption connected Ukraine. Russia itself is simply a subordinate of the 21-economy bloc arsenic are allies China and India.

Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai remains optimistic. In his code to the United Nations General Assembly successful September, helium referred to the upcoming ASEAN, G-20 and APEC summits arsenic the venues for a benignant of rolling diplomacy and a "golden accidental for each ace stakeholders of the Ukraine crisis."

The high-level meetings could relation arsenic a "possible off-ramp oregon exit to this high-tension planetary situation successful Ukraine."  

APEC is shaping up arsenic the level for a last diplomatic propulsion with each eyes connected the bloc to spot if it delivers a associated connection that comes adjacent to a unified presumption connected Ukraine.