The principle behind condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not a matter about taking sides, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his National Day Rally speech in Mandarin on Aug. 21.
Rather it is about standing firm and defending certain principles "robustly" — namely, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, big or small, he added.
Such principles are existential for all nations, but especially so for a small nation like Singapore, PM Lee elaborated.
PM Lee: Some Singaporeans have asked, why offend Russia?
The prime minister noted that when Singapore condemned Russia, most Singaporeans understood and supported the government's position, which "heartened" him.
This includes Chinese Singaporeans who are active on Chinese-language social media.
However, a few Singaporeans have asked: Why offend Russia? Why side with the U.S? Why stick our necks out?
In clarifying the rationale behind Singapore's stance, PM Lee said that the country was neither siding with the U.S. nor being against Russia.
Rather, Singapore has "consistently" opposed the approach of "might is right", he explained.
PM Lee highlighted that Singapore had voted against the U.S. at the United Nations (UN), over its invasion of Grenada in 1983.
In addition, Singapore opposed the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1978.
"If we do not stand firm and take a clear stand on the Ukraine crisis, should Singapore be invaded one day, no one will speak up for us," he said.
Some messages on social media over the invasion have an ulterior motive
The prime minister also called on Singaporeans to be more vigilant in reading messages about the war on social media.
"Some of these messages have an ulterior motive of persuading you to take sides, or even to erode your trust in the government," he said.
With regard to the war itself, PM Lee said that Singaporeans might receive some messages in either Mandarin or English on their mobile phones, that are clearly attempting to stir up strong anti-American sentiments.
There are also other messages which aim to discredit Russia and China, and seek to influence and persuade Singaporeans to side with the West.
PM Lee said that Singaporeans therefore need to ask themselves, "Where do these messages come from, and what are their intentions? Are we sure we should share such messages with our friends?"
He added:
"We should check the facts and not accept all the information as truths. We must guard against hostile foreign influence operations, regardless of where they originate'
Only then, can we safeguard the sovereignty and independence of our nation."
What about other Asian countries?
China and India
As for other Asian countries and their positions on the invasion, PM Lee noted that both China and India abstained from the UN resolution condemning Russia.
In the case of India, PM Lee said that India's main strategic consideration is its relationship with China, as there are "serious frictions" between the two countries.
India therefore has "sufficient reasons" to maintain its friendly relations with Russia.
It also buys military equipment from Russia, PM Lee noted.
As for China, PM Lee explained that its main consideration is tensions with the U.S.
China believes that even if it opposes Russia's actions, the U.S. will not show gratitude and reciprocate, he said.
"Some Chinese commentators even feel that the U.S. will target China next, after it has dealt with Russia," PM Lee added.
Given that the U.S. has framed the crisis in Ukraine as a war between democracy and autocracy, China is therefore even more unwilling to compromise its "limitless" strategic relationship with Russia he noted.
Asean countries
Within Asean, PM Lee pointed out that Vietnam and Laos had abstained from voting in the resolution, given the close relations both countries had with Russia since the Soviet era.
As for other Asean members, while they voted for the resolution, they did not name Russia in their statements.
This is understandable because none of them is the smallest nation in Asean, and do not feel as vulnerable as Singapore, the prime minister elaborated.
This brought up his next point:
"Singapore is the smallest nation in Asean, and our interests and considerations are naturally different from the others. This is why we have not only explicitly condemned Russia’s invasion, but also went further to impose our own targeted sanctions on Russia."
Top photo by Kharkiv Regional Emergency Service/ Facebook via The Kyiv Independent/Twitter