How does the war in Ukraine end, and who bears responsibility for it? On a Bloomberg stage in Singapore, Mishal Husain put those questions to two of Asia’s most experienced diplomats: Kishore Mahbubani, Singapore’s former ambassador to the United Nations, and George Yeo, Singapore’s former foreign minister.
A provoked war?
Mahbubani takes aim at European leaders who describe the war as unprovoked. American thinkers, he notes, warned for years that NATO’s expansion towards Russia’s borders would end in conflict. Husain pushes back: the war could have been avoided if Vladimir Putin had chosen not to invade.
Red lines and vacancies
Mahbubani offers a rule he believes keeps great powers out of war: respect each other’s red lines. The discussion then turns to whether China will step into the role the United States is leaving behind.
An atlas and a snapshot
Yeo reaches for a historical atlas and makes a prediction about Ukraine’s future borders. He also explains Singapore’s decision in 2022 to impose sanctions on Russia, a rare step for a country that seldom acts outside UN mandates, and what looks different when you watch the whole story unfold rather than its opening frame.
Mahbubani closes with a figure covering most of humanity, including the world’s largest democracies, and a question he believes the West should be asking itself.
Why it matters for Asia
Asian governments have divided over the war. Japan, South Korea, and Singapore joined sanctions against Russia; India, Indonesia, and most of Southeast Asia did not. Kyiv and its supporters hold that Russia’s invasion violated Ukraine’s sovereignty and the UN Charter, whatever the history of NATO’s expansion. How Asia reads this war shapes how it thinks about borders, great-power red lines, and Taiwan.
Who do you see as the bully in this war? Watch the full exchange and decide for yourself.
Further reading
- Serhii Plokhy, The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History
- Kishore Mahbubani, Has the West Lost It? A Provocation
Excerpt from The Mishal Husain Show (Bloomberg Weekend), recorded live in Singapore. Used for commentary and analysis. Views expressed are the speakers’ own.
