(Jakarta): Cambodian Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen delivered a policy speech at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. During his speech, he shared his views on the ongoing military tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen stated: “There is no path for Russia to allow Ukraine to gain the upper hand before entering into negotiations.” He was responding to opinions suggesting that “Ukraine should first reclaim some territory and then enter negotiations, as negotiating now would mean they are at a disadvantage.” According to Samdech Techo, such a strategy is not feasible.

He elaborated: “I am drawing a comparison to the past, during times of conflict in our region. Even then, we were able to push the parties to the negotiating table. But in the Russia-Ukraine war, where is the room for negotiation? Some voices argue that negotiating now means Ukraine is at a disadvantage—implying that Ukraine should first gain military superiority before sitting at the table. There is simply no way that Russia would allow Ukraine to have the upper hand on the battlefield to pressure negotiations. That is not possible.”

In contrast to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Hun Sen noted that ASEAN’s approach to resolving Cambodia’s crisis focused not on military solutions, but on national reconciliation and unity. This, he said, is why he continues to hold deep respect for the ASEAN leaders of that era.

On the occasion, Samdech Techo underlined that the historical lessons remain deeply relevant today. Even when ASEAN withheld recognition from certain governments, it still pursued peace through all channels—formal and informal, public and discreet.

He concluded by reaffirming that ASEAN never compromised its principles or credibility by engaging with communist states or those lacking full sovereignty. “Peace for the entire region,” he said, “is more important than abstract ideological correctness.”
=FRESH NEWS