Moon says Ukraine’s sovereignty must be respected
South Korea will actively participate in peace efforts, he said, presiding over an unscheduled meeting of the National Security Council.
South Korea will actively participate in peace efforts, he said, presiding over an unscheduled meeting of the National Security Council.
President Joko Widodo tweeted that the Ukraine crisis “must be dealt with carefully so that humanity can be spared from a major catastrophe”.
He expressed confidence that there could be a solution if US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin hold talks.
It was not immediately clear whether the Russian military action was the start of an invasion of Ukraine that the United States and its allies have warned about for weeks.
Putin also said Russia does not want war, and that is why it submitted proposals on security guarantees in Europe.
Moscow did not say how many units were being withdrawn, and how far.
A Russian military buildup near Ukraine has stoked fears that Moscow may plan to attack, something Russia denies.
In his first direct public comments on the crisis for nearly six weeks, Putin showed no sign of backing down from his security demands.
The Kremlin has previously said any US sanctions personally targeting Putin would be akin to crossing a red line.
Russia insists it does not plan to invade, but the West has threatened severe economic penalties if that does happen.