Edgar Su/Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 2.
Singapore
CNN
—
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday called on Asia-Pacific countries to take part in an upcoming peace summit that he accuses Russia of trying to sabotage, and said China’s support for Russia would prolong the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky made the remarks during a surprise appearance in Singapore at a meeting of defense ministers from Asia-Pacific countries, including China and the United States, and ahead of an international peace conference on Ukraine to be held in Switzerland on June 15-16.
“If China supports Russia, the war will be prolonged. This is bad for the whole world, and also for China’s policy, which professes to support territorial integrity and sovereignty. This is not good for them,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference.
China has emerged as a key economic lifeline for Russia since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has further strengthened its already close strategic and diplomatic partnership with Russia, while claiming neutrality in the conflict and describing itself as a supporter of peace.
The United States has also alleged that Chinese exports of dual-use products to Russia bolster the belligerents’ defense industrial bases and warned Beijing of retribution for such support. Beijing denies the allegations, saying it does not provide weapons to either side and maintains strict export controls on dual-use products.
Zelenskiy referred to such support in his comments on Sunday, saying certain elements that make up part of Russia’s arsenal “come from China.”
The Ukrainian leader also warned that Russia, with China’s support, is trying to pressure countries not to take part in an upcoming international peace summit.
“Russia is trying to disrupt the peace summit, that’s a fact. Russia is now going around many countries of the world threatening them with a blockade of agricultural, food and chemical products. It’s just putting pressure on other countries of the world not to attend the summit,” Zelensky said after speaking at the defence council.
Later, when asked about China’s statement that it would not attend the peace summit, the Ukrainian leader accused Russia of using Chinese diplomats to sabotage the summit.
“It is unfortunate that a big country like China has become a pawn of President Putin,” Zelensky said through a translator.
The Ukrainian leader added that he has not met with Chinese representatives in Singapore, despite the Ukrainian side expressing interest in further dialogue.
China said last week that it would not send a delegation to the peace summit, saying any international peace conference required “the endorsement of both Russia and Ukraine, equal participation by all parties, and fair discussion of all peace plans.”
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, in a speech early Sunday, said China has “promoted peace negotiations in a responsible manner.”
Dong also appeared to counter U.S. claims that China was bolstering Russia’s defence industrial base with dual-use weapon exports, saying China does not supply arms to either side in a conflict and has “stricter controls” on dual-use weapon exports.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed those deals with Dong in a sideline meeting on Friday and warned of consequences if China were to support the Russian military.
CNN has reached out to China’s Foreign Ministry for comment on Zelenskiy’s claims.
The Ukrainian leader’s direct appeal at the Shangri-La Dialogue comes as Ukrainian forces struggle to repel a major Russian advance into the northeastern Kharkiv region, more than two years after the Russian incursion and short on weapons and manpower, increasing the urgency for Kyiv to shore up international support for its peace plan.
Zelenskiy’s plan calls for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders, and he has previously said he will not negotiate with Russia until Russian troops withdraw.
Speaking to a packed auditorium on the final day of a three-day security conference, Zelenskiy said “time is running out”, including for Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
He said the summit would discuss the three points of his peace plan, including “nuclear security, food security and the release of prisoners” as well as “Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” and that the countries would be able to reach an agreement on peace in Ukraine that could then be “handed over to Russia.”
The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant last year for Russian President Vladimir Putin over an alleged plot to forcibly return Ukrainian children to Russia.
Russia has called the peace talks a “plot” engineered by the US, and a Foreign Ministry spokesman said last week that “the real ‘peace formula’ would be for Western countries to stop providing weapons to Ukraine.”
Zelensky said more than 100 countries and international organizations have so far expressed their intention to participate in the meeting.
Zelenskyy has been holding meetings since arriving in Singapore on Saturday, with the upcoming peace summit and Ukraine’s defence also high on his agenda.
The talks also included meetings with U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin, Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto, East Timor’s President Jose Ramos-Horta, and a delegation of U.S. congressional leaders.
During his talks with President Zelensky on Sunday morning, Defense Secretary Austin reiterated “U.S. unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression” and provided an update on U.S. security assistance to Ukraine, according to a statement from Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder after the meeting.
Zelenskiy said in a Twitter post that the two discussed “our country’s defense needs, strengthening Ukraine’s air defense system, the F-16 coalition and drafting a bilateral security agreement.”
He also thanked US President Joe Biden for the “important decision” regarding defensive strikes with American weapons, referring to the White House’s decision to allow Ukraine to use American weapons for limited attacks on Russian territory, as reported by CNN.
