In his opening remarks at the Quad summit this morning, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida welcomed the other three leaders to Tokyo — and highlighted the war in Ukraine as a major focus of the meeting.
"A grave incident which has fundamentally shaken the rule of law-based international order we value has happened since we met last September," Kishida said.
"(The) Russian invasion into Ukraine squarely challenges the principles which are enshrined in the United Nations Charter. We should never, ever allow a similar incident to happen in the Indo-Pacific. Because of the harsh reality unfolding, it is extremely significant for us to get together and show to the international society, the four countries' solidarity and our firm commitment toward a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific."
US President Joe Biden also condemned Russia's invasion in his opening remarks, pledging US support for Ukraine.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who has so far resisted condemning the Russian invasion or imposing sanctions on Moscow — did not mention the war in Ukraine during his opening comments. Instead, Modi emphasized the importance of "mutual cooperation."
"Despite the difficult circumstances of Covid-19, we have increased mutual coordination in several areas such as vaccine delivery, climate action, supply chain resilience, disaster response and economic cooperation," he said. "This will continue to strengthen the image of the Quad as a force for good."