Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the only one in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to address the Russia-Ukraine war and the North Korea threat. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim has 5,200 likes, 338 comments, and 102,000 views as of writing.

ASEAN’s stand: Several ASEAN countries aside from the Philippines have condemned Russia since the start of its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Brunei issued a statement condemning military actions against Ukraine as early as February 26, 2022. 

Singapore and Cambodia issued their statement condemning Russia in March 2022. Singapore condemned and imposed sanctions against Russia on March 5, 2022, while a Reuters report shows that Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen condemned Russia on March 28, 2022.

The foreign ministers of ASEAN also issued a statement calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine on March 3, 2022.

On October 13, 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that condemns Russia’s “illegal so-called referendums” in regions within Ukraine’s internationally-recognized borders, and demands it reverses its annexation declaration.

Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore, Philippines, and Indonesia voted in favor of the resolution while Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam abstained. 

What happened in the ASEAN summit: During the 41st ASEAN Summit, mention of individual member states’ stance on the issue of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was sparse. 

However, Ukraine acceded to a “treaty of amity and cooperation” with ASEAN during the summit – a step closer to having formal relations with the regional bloc.

According to the Khmer Times, Cambodia also considered a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to speak via video link but ASEAN leaders decided to cancel the plan due to lack of consensus among the member states. 

Nhan Dan, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam, said in a report that Vietnamese Prime Minister Minh Chinh aired his concern over the Russia-Ukraine conflict in his remarks during the summit. 

Chinh highlighted the importance of respecting independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are needed for international peace and security.

Condemning North Korea: Singapore and the Philippines have issued statements condemning North Korea’s missile launches in November 2022.  – Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com

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