Zelenskyy accuses China of pressuring not to attend upcoming peace talks
The greater the participation, the more likely it will be that Russia will have to listen, he said.
SINGAPORE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China of helping Russia to disrupt a Swiss-organized peace conference on the war in Ukraine, speaking at Asia’s premier security conference on Sunday.
In a news conference at the Shangri-La defense forum in Singapore, Zelenskyy said that China is pressuring other countries and their leaders not to attend the upcoming talks.
“Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit,” he said, according to a simultaneous translation of his remarks. “Regrettably this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in hands of Putin.”
In a speech earlier in the day, Zelenskyy urged top defense officials to attend the upcoming summit, saying he was disappointed at the failure of some countries to commit to joining.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun spoke earlier in the day at the Shangri-La conference but he did not appear to be in the room when Zelenskyy made his appeal.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had proposals to make at the summit as a basis for peace, addressing nuclear security, food security, the release of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
“Time is running out, and the children are growing up in the Putin-land where they are taught to hate their homeland,” he said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is “ready to hear various proposals and thoughts that lead us … to an end of the war and a sustainable and just peace.”
Comments are closed.