UKRAINIAN President Volodymr Zelenskyy accused Russia and China of undermining the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland following Beijing’s decision not to attend the international event.
Zelenksyy arrived in Singapore this past weekend and made an unannounced appearance at the 2024 Shangri-la Dialogue.
The defense forum attended by the defense chiefs across the Asia-Pacific region was held from the 31st of May through the 2nd of June.
Zelenskyy also met Singapore’s new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his visit to the Southeast Asian country.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was also present during the three-day gathering.
When asked about his expectations of China’s role after the peace summit in Switzerland, Zelenskyy accused China of trying to pressure countries not to attend by refusing to participate in the event.
“But it seems to me that to disrupt the summit, to weaken the representation of leaders and countries, to do everything so that certain leaders do not arrive at Peace Summit, to push them, pressure them, that definitely does not bring peace closer, and that is not only support to Russia, that is basically support of war,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian leader accused Russia of using China’s influence to disrupt the summit, as he appealed for political and humanitarian support from Asian countries.
“Unfortunately, regrettably, Russia using Chinese influence on the region, using Chinese diplomats, also does everything to disrupt peace summit. Regrettably, this is unfortunate that such big, independent, powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of Putin,” he added.
Admiral Dong Jun, China’s Minister of National Defense, has this to say on Beijing’s stance concerning the Russia -Ukraine crisis and the West’s accusations of supplying Moscow with weapons:
“On the Ukraine crisis, China has been promoting peace talks with a responsible attitude. We have never provided weapons to either party of the conflict. We have put stricter control on export of dual-use items and we have not done anything to fan the flames. We stand firmly on the side of peace and dialogue,” Adm. Dong Jun China’s Minister of National Defense said.
China’s Foreign Ministry last week said it will not send representatives to Ukraine’s Peace Summit in Switzerland because it does not meet its expectations. Switzerland will be hosting the two-day summit on the 15th and 16th of June.
Zelenskyy claimed that Ukrainian intelligence had found evidence that some Russian weapons contained Chinese components. American officials have also accused China of supporting Russia’s defense industrial base which Beijing has denied consistently.
Ukraine also called on Brazil to attend the summit. Meanwhile, China and Brazil last week signed a joint declaration that called for an international peace conference recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, and where both sides can freely discuss proposals to de-escalate the war.
