A protest in Bangkok, Thailand condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo from the Twitter post of Prachatai, a content partner of Global Voices. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, nations all over the world spoke out to condemn the attack and offer support to Ukrainian citizens. However, Southeast Asian leaders were notoriously sluggish in addressing the conflict, though many have since voiced their support for Ukraine. While the ASEAN block made noncommittal references to the “conflict in the West” and called for de-escalation, many Southeast Asian leaders are choosing to stay silent and sidestep any direct references to Russia and its president Vladamir Putin. In fact, only Singapore and Timor Leste signed a UN draft resolution calling for an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine. The resolution ultimately failed. In a time when global tensions are at a boiling point, staying silent can signal alliances and tensions just as much as an outright official statement. At the same time, many Southeast Asian countries are grappling with the massive political and economic implications that come with taking sides in this newfound conflict. How are other Southeast Asian nations reacting to the crisis to the west? In the lead-up to the conflict, Indonesian President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo released a statement through his official Twitter account saying, “Stop the war. This war torments humanity, and endangers the world.” While Jokowi may have been the first ASEAN leader to directly address the conflict, his lukewarm statement drew criticism online, particularly from activists who accused him of hypocrisy for his administration’s militaristic aggression and violence in Papua. The daily newspaper Koran Tempo even released a cartoon caricaturing Jokowi’s choice to shame Russia while simultaneously occupying Papua and oppressing the citizens there. Papua has been fighting an independence movement against the Indonesian government since 1965, and still routinely comes into violent conflict with the Indonesian government. Karikatur @korantempo Menjelaskan Watak Presiden @jokowi yang tidak memiliki simpati atas penyelesaian Kekerasan militer di Papua. Sedangkan #RusiaVsUcrania & #Myanmar Jokowi menjadi Pahlawan pada kenyataanya jokowi hdak pratek yg sama. pic.twitter.com/D5jdMQA8Dg — Ambrosius Mulait (@Mulalt_) February 27, 2022 Caricature @korantempo Describes the character of the President @jokowi who has no sympathy for the resolution of military violence in Papua. While #RusiaVsUcrania & #Myanmar Jokowi became a hero, in fact Jokowi did not practice the same thing. Some activists, including Amnesty International official Veronika Koman, also highlighted the immense amount of international media attention in Ukraine, compared to the ongoing war in Papua, which gets comparatively little attention or resources. The war in Ukraine will be televised, unlike West Papua. https://t.co/gZRXnK39rC — Veronica Koman 許愛茜 (@VeronicaKoman) February 24, 2022 Meanwhile, people took to the streets all over the archipelago to condemn Russia’s actions and voice support for Ukraine. In Bali, demonstrators, including many Ukrainians, gathered outside the Ukrainian embassy to protest the invasion. Ukrainians in Bali today pic.twitter.com/5SmrCytYz3 — UKR Embassy in INA (@ukr_embassy) February 25, 2022 As of February 28, some Jokowi supporters proposed he should extend his presidential term which is set to end in 2024, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Singapore is one of the only Southeast Asian nations to strongly come out against Russia. The nation has imposed strict sanctions against Russia including banning the export of “any items that can be used directly as weapons,” said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in a Singaporean Parliament address on February 28. It will also block Russian banks and certain financial institutions. “We continue to value our good relations with Russia and the Russian people. However, we cannot accept such violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity of another sovereign state,” Balakrishnan said. “We will continue to work with our ASEAN and international partners to take a strong stance against the invasion of Ukraine and to end further violence and bloodshed, and to de-escalate tensions.” The tiny city-state generally follows UN Security Council decisions and rarely issues sanctions of its own. This will be only the second time Singapore has censured a foreign power without UN Security Council assent. Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is currently visiting Cambodia and in talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is the ASEAN chair this year.