Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on 1 April that Singapore chose to uphold principles, in taking a strong stand against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said that “We have chosen principles and we uphold principles which correspond to our long-term national interests, and we uphold them consistently.”.
“That’s a fundamental principle which is vital to us because if that’s up for grabs, then what is our basis for saying we are entitled to exist, and to security and to be safe in the world, therefore we took a strong stand”.
One of the principles is the respect of territorial integrity, as well as the sovereignty of nations.
PM Lee said that Singapore has taken this stand consistently over the years, like when it opposed Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia in 1978 and the US invasion of Grenada in 1983.
He said that “We voted against them at the UN,” adding that it “does not mean we are the enemy of the US, but we cannot approve of what they did”.
Similarly, he said that Singapore is “not the enemy of Russia” in the case of Ukraine, but Singapore cannot “endorse or condone such violation of the sovereignty of another country”.
On the Ukraine-Russia conflict, PM Lee said that he believed the military struggle will continue, and what the crisis means for small nations such as Singapore is the need to be well equipped and to build up their own defences.
He said: “This is my home, I am going to fight for it (and) if necessary, I’m willing to die for it, and it is that will to defend what is yours and to defend your family and friends that keeps the Ukrainians going, and that Singaporeans must have if we are going to keep ourselves safe in this world.”