INTERNATIONAL: The four Indo-Pacific leaders of the "Quad" grouping vowed on Tuesday(May 24) to stand together for a free and open region at the start of talks, vowing also to work on fighting climate change.

U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan began discussions aimed at countering an increasingly assertive China and paving over differences on issues including Russia.

 "As long as Russia continues the war, the United States will work with our partners to help beat a global response, because it's going to affect all parts of the world. At the same time, the United States must and will be strong, steady, enduring partner in the Indo-Pacific."

Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will also hold bilateral meetings, with Modi set to meet Kishida for talks and a working dinner after the larger talks have finished.

Taiwan was not an official item on the Quad agenda, a U.S. official said, but it was expected to be a key topic when the four leaders meet a day after Biden broke with convention and volunteered U.S. military support for the self-governed island claimed by China.