In their joint statement issued at the end of the summit between the two blocs on Wednesday 14 December, the leaders of the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) failed to “condemn” the war in Ukraine. Instead, they reaffirmed “the need to respect the sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. The EU and ASEAN also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, Myanmar and North Korea, and threats to peace and security in the South China...