Summits Involving the U.S. and Russia Are Getting Awkward

SINGAPORE—Hosting diplomatic summits with major powers in the room is usually a matter of prestige. At the moment, though, it’s tricky—awkward even.

At a recent meeting in Thailand of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, trade officials from the U.S. and four other countries walked out as Russia’s representative began to speak. The two-day gathering failed to produce a joint statement as it normally would because participants couldn’t agree on how to address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the text. That left Thai Deputy Prime Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, who headed the meeting, to fill in with remarks that covered key takeaways and avoided mentioning the war altogether.