Thailand Braces For Economic Fallout Russia-Ukraine Crisis

By Linda Khoo Hui Li BANGKOK, March 2 (Bernama) -- Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha said Thailand is prepared to introduce additional measures to deal with any economic fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said all relevant ministries had met on Monday to discuss the latest developments on Russia-Ukraine crisis. “Relevant ministries will develop measures in various sectors to deal with the situations (if any) in three levels,” he said without elaborating further. When asked on Thailand’s stand on Russia-Ukraine war, Prayuth said Thailand holds the ‘same position’ as ASEAN that called on all parties to adhere to the principle of mutual respect and settle their disputes peacefully. "It is about the regional grouping's decision. We need to keep a balance. Most importantly, we must ensure the safety of the people, including Thais. “We hope the peace talks will end the conflict soon,” he said. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said Thailand would not rush to condemn Russia and will monitor the situation closely and see if it could help ease the situation, not just condemn. “Everyone knows that, if the war drags on, energy prices will rise. This will be followed by a rise in inflation. We don’t want these,” he was quoted saying by Thai PBS. On Monday, 25 ambassadors met with Thai’s permanent secretary for the Foreign Ministry Thani Thongphakdi to speak out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and support the United Nations General Assembly's (UNGA) resolution on the Ukraine crisis. -- BERNAMA