February 28, 2022, 10:54 PM
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Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, has thanked Singapore and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan for the support as Russian forces invade the country.
On Feb. 28, Kuleba tweeted that he had a call with Vivian, and expressed gratitude for Singapore's humanitarian assistance.
He also urged Singapore to join the "global economic pressure" on Russia to stop the invasion orchestrated by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Call with Singapore’s FM @VivianBala. Singapore stands in solidarity with Ukraine as we defend ourselves from the ongoing Russian invasion. Grateful for Singapore’s humanitarian assistance and urge Singapore to join the global economic pressure on Russia to stop Putin’s war.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 28, 2022
Singapore announces sanctions
Earlier on the same day, Vivian stood up in Parliament to deliver a ministerial crisis on Russia's act of aggression.
He condemned the bloodshed and announced that Singapore would impose export controls on certain items to Russia that could be used as weapons against the Ukrainian people.
Singapore will also take steps to block certain Russian banks and financial transactions connected to Russia, with more details to be announced soon.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also spoke publicly on the issue, saying in a Facebook post that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be respected.
In his speech, Vivian emphasised that Singapore had to stand up for the principles that are the foundation of a smaller state's sovereignty, otherwise Singapore's own right to exist may be called into question one day.
Singapore's decision has been met with some surprise by a number of political observers, noting that it was the first Asean country to respond to the Russian invasion with concrete measures.
Singapore - yes, Singapore - says it will impose sanctions on some Russian banks + impose export controls on some items "that can be used directly as weapons" in Ukraine. The Little Red Dot is waaay out ahead of the rest of Southeast Asia on this https://t.co/ui7zFNmslT
— Stephen Dziedzic (@stephendziedzic) February 28, 2022
Wow. Singapore is imposing sanctions on Russia. Extremely unusual for a country that typically abides only by a U.N. Security Council decision, said it had to act because of the "unprecedented gravity of Russia's attack on Ukraine." https://t.co/Ua0k2mZCG4
— Sui-Lee Wee 黄瑞黎 (@suilee) February 28, 2022
Singapore sanctions Russia. The first country in SE Asia to do so, and the only one to have taken a reasonably tough line. https://t.co/nApoTKsVwe
— james crabtree (@jamescrabtree) February 28, 2022
Top image from Kuleba Twitter page and Govsg YouTube.
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