Singapore’s position on Russia-Ukraine War & it’s implication

Transcript from Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong’s speech in Parliament

The war in Ukraine has been deadlocked for over a year, with no good outcome in sight. Neither side can win, nor can either afford to lose. In fact, things have been at a stalemate since last November.

The Ukrainians are understandably reluctant to stop fighting before they reclaim all of their territory, but this will be very difficult.

The Russians are most unlikely to be defeated entirely, despite heavy losses. They have a large population and can still conscript more troops and mobilize more resources.

There is always a danger of the conflict escalating. The U.S. and NATO countries are supplying Ukraine with more and more sophisticated military equipment, like longer range artillery, their Patriot air defense system, and main battle tanks.

If the Ukrainians, using these Western-supplied weapons, make a breakthrough on the battlefield, we cannot predict how Russia may react.

What does this mean for the rest of the world? Even short of worst-case scenarios, the impact is bad. The war continues to disrupt global energy, food, and fertilizer supplies, and we’re all feeling it in higher prices.

There are also significant implications on international relations. Relations between Russia and the NATO countries, the U.S. and Europe have completely broken down and will not return to normal anytime soon.