“This war should not have taken place,” the Bangkok Post reports Mr Sihasak telling the Washington Post in an interview published on Monday (Apr 27), as he explained why Thailand has been approaching Russia and China amid its economic crisis.
“I think they’re aware that there are consequences from the war,” the newspaper quoted Mr Sihasak as saying, referring to Trump administration officials.
“But they haven’t come out to talk to us about how they can help. They haven’t approached us directly saying, ‘Oh, we understand that you have to endure the impact, and we can help you out.’”
The only gesture, he added, was President Donald Trump’s offer for countries in need of fuel to buy American oil and gas.
“Our position is that this war should not have taken place in the first place,” Mr Sihasak said in an interview conducted on Saturday in Krabi, where he was hosting visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. “We don’t want to condemn the US directly. But this is something that should not have started.”
Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries have struggled more than most with soaring fuel and fertiliser prices because of shipping disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict.
Agriculture Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit recently travelled to Moscow to negotiate with Russian officials for fertiliser. Thailand is also trying to procure Russian crude, though concerns over potential violations of US sanctions have held back Thai banks from proceeding, Mr Sihasak said.
Mr Sihasak travelled last week to Oman to advocate for safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and said he left with the impression that the Omanis were not optimistic about a ceasefire in the near term.
The minister said he shared that pessimism, telling the Washington Post it seems the Trump administration’s objectives “are shifting all the time”. At one point, the goal appeared to be regime change. Now, it seems to be about ending Iran’s nuclear programme.
“There’s a lot of unpredictability in the US government policy,” he said, adding that it is not limited to the war. Trump’s sweeping tariff campaign has surprised many allies. His rapid dismantling of US aid programmes has left poor communities across the world exposed to sickness and disaster.
In comparison, Mr Sihasak said, China has presented itself as a more consistent partner to countries in Asia.
“It doesn’t mean that China doesn’t also behave as a superpower when it comes to core interests, right? But we know what those core interests are,” he said.
“This is not about us taking sides in the geopolitical competition. It’s about what the US is doing, which is forcing us to rethink some relationships.”