Leaders of the Asian region, as well as the senior envoys of the US and Russia, convened in Laos on Friday to talk about the state of the world, with China coming under increasing pressure for its actions in disputed regional waters.
Following meetings of the 10-country ASEAN regional grouping, the normally peaceful, temple-lined streets of the landlocked nation’s capital, Vientiane, have been temporarily converted into a center of world diplomacy for the biennial East Asia Summit.
The summit is a unique opportunity for the United States and Russia, represented by their respective top diplomats, to be seated in the same room together.
Prior to the summit, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with leaders of Southeast Asia and called for toughness against Russia’s “war of aggression in Ukraine,” claiming that it contradicted the norms of the United Nations and ASEAN.
As the US administration questioned Moscow’s seriousness in calling for negotiations on the conflict in Ukraine, Blinken was not anticipated to have a one-on-one meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
In the upcoming presidential election, vice president Kamala Harris has stated that she will not engage in negotiations with Russia without the participation of the Ukrainian government.
