Quad ministers call for lasting peace in Ukraine, say nuclear weapon use 'inadmissible'

The Foreign Ministers of Quad member nations on Friday called for lasting peace in Ukraine, and said without naming Russia that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is "inadmissible".

The Ukraine conflict was discussed during the Quad Foreign Ministers' meet which took place here on Friday.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the United States that is maintained by talks between member countries.

The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong.

"We continued to discuss our responses to the conflict in Ukraine and the immense human suffering it is causing, and concurred that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. We underscored the need for comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter," the Quad ministers said in a joint statement issued after the meeting.

The Quad Foreign Ministers further emphasised that the "rules-based international order must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency and peaceful resolution of disputes".

The Quad also opposed any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions in South and East China seas.

"Our meeting today reaffirms the Quad's steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient. We strongly support the principles of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of force and freedom of navigation and overflight, and oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo, all of which are essential to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," the statement noted.

The ministers underlined that the rules-based international order is anchored in international law, including the UN Charter, and the principles of sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of all states.

"We are committed to cooperate to address attempts to unilaterally subvert the UN and international system, in consultation with our partners and through multilateral and international platforms. We reiterate our unwavering support for the UN Charter, including its three pillars, and our steadfast commitment to strengthening the UN and international system through a comprehensive reform agenda, including through expansion in permanent and non-permanent seats of the UN Security Council," the statement said.

"In this regard, we commit to active and constructive engagement in the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) process on Security Council Reforms with an overall objective of making the UN Security Council more effective, representative and credible," the Quad ministers noted.