Quad ‘not just a passing fad, we mean business’: Biden at Quad summit in Japan

Addressing the second in-person meeting between Quad leaders, Biden attacked Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, saying Moscow is trying to extinguish a culture.

Tokyo: US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that Quad is “not just a passing fad but it means business,” asserting that the four leaders of the grouping are here to get things done for the strategic Indo-Pacific region and that he is proud of what they are building together.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australia’s newly-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the second in-person meeting of Quad leaders here during which they exchanged views about developments in the Indo-Pacific region and global issues of mutual interest.

Biden welcomed Prime Minister Modi at the Summit and said it is wonderful to see you again in person .

“We share the same goal of ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific that will deliver greater prosperity and greater opportunity for all of our children. I am looking forward to continuing to work with all of you and to strengthen economic cooperation to deliver inclusive growth and shared prosperity,” Biden said in his opening remarks.

We’ve shown that Quad is not just a passing fad, we mean business. We’re here to get things done for the region, and I’m proud of what we’re building together and I look forward to our vital partnership flourishing and for many years to come, Biden said.

He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is just trying to extinguish a culture. This is more than a European issue. It is a global issue.

On the global food security issue in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is one of the major exporters of wheat, the US President said that the global food crisis may worsen by Russia blocking Ukraine from exporting its grains.

As long as Russia continues war against Ukraine, the US will work with its partners, Biden vowed.

He also spoke about the importance of the Quad grouping in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, partnering on supply chains among others. Much of his remarks focused on the war in Ukraine.

“We are navigating a dark hour in our shared history.

“Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war against Ukraine has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe. And innocent civilians are put into the streets and millions of refugees are internally displaced as well as exiled,” Biden said.

He reminded the world that the situation in Ukraine is more than just a European issue.

“It’s a global issue. The fact is that when you turn on the television and see what Russia’s doing now, it appears to me that Putin is trying to extinguish a culture. He is not trying to hit military targets anymore, he is taking out every school, every culture, every natural history museum,” the US President added.