Tokyo cannot overlook unilateral attempt to change status quo by force, says foreign minister

These "put us in a position that we have to choose sides and we don't want to be placed in a position that we have to choose sides", Manele said.

North Korean Foreign Minister Jo Chol Su defended those referendums on joining Russia as perfectly legitimate

China abstained from the resolution, but raised concerns about "a prolonged and expanded crisis" in Ukraine.

Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians. Vladimir Rogov, an official in the Russian-installed administration in the Zaporizhzhia region, blamed the attack on Ukrainian forces.

Xi said in his message that ties were of "great importance", adding he was willing to work with Kishida to use the anniversary as an "opportunity".

Putin controls the world's largest nuclear arsenal, including a new generation of hypersonic weapons and ten times more tactical nuclear weapons than the West

In a speech to a business forum in the city of Kaohsiung, Pompeo described Xi's decade in power as a turning point in relations between Washington and Beijing

The war in Ukraine has only deepened the divide, with Japan backing Western allies opposed to Russia's invasion while Beijing avoids criticising Moscow.

"Any use of nuclear weapons would have catastrophic effects for, of course, the country using them, but for many others as well."

The text also decided to "carry out an assessment on the impact of the war in Ukraine to ITU programmes and activities in the region, and provide a report thereon."

Russia was buying artillery shells and rockets from communist North Korea to support its war in Ukraine.