'Putin trying to erase a culture...': Biden on Ukraine, global food crisis

Calling the invasion of Ukraine a “global issue”, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is trying to “extinguish a culture”. In opening remarks at the Quad Leaders Summit, Biden warned that the global food crisis could worsen if Russia continues blocking Ukraine from exporting its grains.

“Putin is just trying to extinguish a culture. This is more than just a European issue, it's a global issue. Global food crisis may worsen by Russia blocking Ukraine from exporting its grains,” the US president noted.

The Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida underlined that the Russian invasion of Ukraine “squarely challenges” the principles enshrined in the UN Charter.

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The leaders of the "Quad" grouping on Tuesday vowed to stand together for a free and open Indo-Pacific at the start of talks. Biden stressed that the US will be a strong, steady and enduring partner in the region.

“We are Indo-Pacific powers. As long as Russia continues the war, we are going to be partners and lead a global response. We stay together for the shared values and vision we have,” he said, adding that the Quad has a lot of work “ahead of us”.

“We have a lot of work to keep this region peaceful and stable, tacking this pandemic and next and addressing the climate crisis,” Biden said.

While India has developed closer ties with the US over the years and is a vital part of the Quad grouping aimed at pushing back against China, its lack of support for US-led sanctions and condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has frustrated Washington. Unlike the other Quad leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made no mention of the Ukraine invasion in his opening remarks.

(With inputs from agencies)