Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia and China of disrupting peace summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia and China of trying to disrupt a world peace summit planned for Switzerland.

He said Russia was trying to discourage other countries from taking part in the event, and China was making similar efforts.

He also told the Asia Security Forum that “some of Russia’s weapons” come from China.

China has said it is not taking sides in the Ukraine war, but this position is beginning to be questioned, particularly by the United States.

China has been accused of supporting Russia by sending weapons parts and is also seen as buying huge amounts of oil and gas to bolster the Russian economy and cushion the impact of Western sanctions.

Zelensky made a surprise appearance at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, attended by defense chiefs from around the world, including US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun.

The visit was aimed at garnering support from Asian countries, as he met with regional leaders and urged them to send their delegations to a summit due to be held in late June.

Zelenskiy said he would focus on achieving nuclear security, food security and the release of prisoners and Ukrainian children being held by Russia.

He said 106 countries have so far committed to sending high-level representatives or leaders to the summit.

Russia was not invited and China is not attending.

The BBC reports that Russia told Switzerland early on that it did not want to take part and so no formal invitation was issued to Russia.

Zelenskiy alleged that Russia was trying to derail the summit by threatening agricultural, chemical and energy blockades to pressure countries not to attend.

He added that some countries were supporting this “diplomatic chaos”.

He then named China, promising to send a high-level representative and encouraging others to attend, saying China was “lobbying countries not to attend the peace summit.”

China’s foreign ministry had said the conference should have “the approval of Russia and Ukraine” and equal participation. “Otherwise, it will be difficult for the conference to play a substantive role in restoring peace,” a spokesman said on Friday.

Zelensky also said Chinese President Xi Jinping had previously promised to “stand by and not support Russia with weapons in this war.”

But he added that according to various intelligence agencies, “some of the Russian weapons” now come from China. He called on China to maintain a “consistent” position.

The United States says China is helping Russia increase production of munitions, armored vehicles and missiles. The United States estimates that about 70 percent of the machine tools and 90 percent of microelectronics imported by Russia are made in China.

Earlier, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said on Sunday that China was not supplying weapons to either side in the Ukraine conflict.

He also said the country imposes “strict controls” on the export of dual-use technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

“We are not doing anything to add fuel to the fire. We are firmly on the side of peace and dialogue,” he said in his speech.

Zelenskiy said he did not meet Don during the conversation but did meet Austin, and that the two discussed the U.S. decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S. weapons on Russian territory, Zelenskiy said.

The decision comes with certain restrictions, and when asked by the BBC if he had requested that the restrictions be lifted, he said he was grateful to the US for allowing Ukraine to use the Himars artillery rocket system near the border in the Kharkiv region, where heavy fighting continues.

“Is that enough? No,” he said, adding that there are airfields that Russia is permanently shelling “knowing that Ukraine will not retaliate.”

The United States has joined other Western countries such as France in allowing Ukraine greater freedom to use Western-supplied weapons, a move Russia has warned would have “serious consequences.”

This weekend marked Zelenskiy’s second visit to Asia since the start of the war, after making a surprise appearance at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, a year ago.