Bangkok - (AFP) - Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Forum (APEC) said in their closing statement Saturday that "most" of them condemn the war, adding their voice to international pressure on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

After a day and a half of talks in Bangkok, the 21 members of the forum agreed on a joint statement criticizing the conflict and the global economic turmoil caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Most members strongly condemn the war in Ukraine and stress that it causes enormous human suffering and exacerbates existing weaknesses in the global economy," said the leaders of the forum's 21 member states, including Russia and China.

The text was approved by all countries, including Russia and China, which refrained from condemning the invasion of Ukraine.

The statement said that "there were other points of view and different assessments of the situation and the sanctions," reiterating, literally, a position issued at the conclusion of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, a few days ago.

In their statement, APEC countries expressed regret over the impact of the Ukrainian conflict on economic growth, inflation, supply chains, energy and food security.

The United States and its allies took advantage of the G-20 summit to expand the alliance against the Russian invasion.

Faced with difficulties on the ground in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to attend the G-20 and APEC summits and sent his foreign minister to Bali and his deputy prime minister to Bangkok.