MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in the Philippines on Monday on an extraordinary tour of Asia to urge regional leaders to attend a Swiss-hosted world peace summit on the Ukraine war. Russia, with China’s help, is trying to undermine it.
Zelenskiy arrived in Manila unannounced and under heavy security late on Sunday after giving a speech over the weekend. Shangri-La Defence Forum, SingaporeOn Monday, he was given a red-carpet welcome with military honors at the Presidential Palace before meeting with President Marcos.
In the recording released by the administration, Zelenskiy appeared to indicate that Marcos had accepted the invitation, but it is unclear whether the Philippine leader agreed to attend the peace summit in Switzerland himself or send a representative.
“I am pleased to hear that you will join our peace efforts today,” President Zelenskyy told President Marcos. “This is a very strong message.”
The Marcos administration did not immediately comment on the matter.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine would also open an embassy in Manila, a move welcomed by Marcos as it would provide further support to the war-torn country.
“We will continue to do all we can to promote peace and end the fighting,” President Marcos said.
President Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet with President Marcos on the sidelines of the annual defense conference in Singapore, but when that did not happen, he decided to fly to Manila and personally invite President Marcos to a summit in Switzerland.
The two leaders criticized China at the Singapore forum, attended by senior defense and government officials from around the world, including from Washington and Beijing. The meeting came amid escalating wars in Gaza and Ukraine and rising tensions and competition for influence between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific region.
Speaking at a press conference in Singapore on Sunday, Zelensky accused China of helping Russia disrupt a peace summit hosted by Switzerland by pressuring other countries and their leaders not to attend the talks.
“Russia is using China’s influence in the region, and also Chinese diplomats, to do everything they can to disrupt the peace summit,” he said, without elaborating. “It’s unfortunate that a big country like China has become a pawn of (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin.”
China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Zelenskiy’s claims.
China has maintained a neutral stance on the war, at odds with Ukraine, the United States and most of Europe, and its trade with Russia has expanded, mitigating the economic impact of Western sanctions. U.S., Ukrainian and other intelligence agencies say there is evidence that Chinese-made components are used in Russian weapons, even if China is not directly supplying arms to its neighbors.
Switzerland had hoped that China would attend the peace conference in mid-June, but Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning suggested on Friday that this was unlikely.
Speaking at the security forum, President Zelensky expressed disappointment that some countries had not committed to participating and urged defense officials to take part in the talks in Switzerland. He said Ukraine has some proposals it would like to put forward at the summit as a basis for peace, including nuclear security, food security, the release of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
Zelensky said Ukraine was “ready to listen to various proposals and ideas leading to an end to the war and a sustainable and just peace.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Zelensky on the sidelines of the conference to renew U.S. commitment to Ukraine. “Putin’s war of aggression has shown us a glimpse of a world none of us want,” Austin said in a speech at the forum on Saturday.
Marcos’ country Clashes with China over islands in the South China Sea intensifySpeaking at a defense forum on Friday, he bluntly highlighted the dangers of flashpoints in the region. He said that if a “deliberate act” resulted in Filipinos being killed in fighting on the high seas, “I think that’s very close to what we would define as an act of war.”
“That would definitely increase the level of response,” Marcos said in response to a question.
“Illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive acts continue to violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction,” Marcos said, without naming China, but added that the Philippines remains committed to a peaceful resolution to the dispute.
Austin said at the forum: U.S. commitment to Philippines as treaty ally is “ironclad” However, he reiterated the importance of dialogue with China.
“We know that things can happen at sea and in the air,” he said, “but our goal is to make sure things don’t get unnecessarily out of control.”
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Associated Press writer Joel Carpitan contributed to this report from Manila.
