(Singapore) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday accused China of working to “prevent” countries from participating in a peace summit on Ukraine, which Beijing has criticized because Russia is not invited.
“Unfortunately, China is working today to prevent countries from coming to the Peace Summit,” Zelensky told reporters on the sidelines of a security forum in Singapore.
China has indicated that its President Xi Jinping will not participate in this summit and US President Joe Biden has not yet committed.
“We are disappointed that some world leaders have not yet confirmed their participation in the Peace Summit,” Zelensky said without mentioning China or the United States by name.
More than a hundred countries and organizations have committed to participating in this Summit scheduled for June in Switzerland, said Mr. Zelensky, urging countries in the Asia-Pacific region to join.
China said on Friday that it would be “difficult” to participate in this summit if Russia is not invited, a statement approved by Moscow.
“There is a clear disconnect between the arrangements made for the conference on the one hand and China’s demands and the general expectations of the international community on the other, which makes it difficult for China to participate,” he said on Friday. Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Otherwise, the conference will hardly be able to play a substantial role in the return of peace,” she added during a press briefing.
The Ukrainian leader met earlier Sunday with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a meeting he described as “very good.”
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENCY PHOTO VIA REUTERS
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 2.
Mr. Zelensky welcomed Friday “a step forward”, following the green light given by the United States to the use by Kyiv of weapons supplied by the Americans to strike, under conditions, targets on Russian soil .
Ukraine is struggling to contain a Russian ground offensive in the Kharkiv region (North-East), where Moscow recently made its biggest territorial advances in 18 months.
In a communication on 16 and the drafting of a bilateral security agreement.
“Unwavering American support”
Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder said in a briefing that Austin reiterated “the United States’ unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.”
Mr. Zelensky has visited several European countries in recent days to call for more military aid for his army which is losing ground in the face of incessant attacks from Russia.
On the last day of this annual defense summit, against a backdrop of tensions around Taiwan and the South China Sea, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun warned that Beijing would act “with determination and force” to prevent the independence for Taiwan while demanding more military communications with the United States.
“We have always been open to exchanges and cooperation, but this requires the two sides to meet each other halfway,” said Mr Dong, who met Mr Austin on Friday, their first direct meeting in 18 months.
“We believe we need more exchanges precisely because there are differences between our two armies,” he added.
After their meeting Friday, Austin said telephone conversations between U.S. and Chinese military commanders would resume “in the coming months.”
But Mr. Dong also underlined on Sunday China’s determination to defend its claimed sovereignty over Taiwan.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army “will act at all times with determination and force to curb Taiwan’s independence and ensure that it never succeeds in its attempts,” Dong said, adding that restraint from Beijing in the South China Sea had “limits”, following a series of skirmishes between Chinese and Philippine ships in a disputed area.