Shangri-La Dialogue: in Singapore, Zelensky calls on Asia to join Ukraine peace summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday called on Asian countries to join a coming Swiss-led peace summit, stressing that "time is running out" and the support of the region was "much needed".
During his 15-minute address at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, he also made veiled jabs at the United States for not confirming the attendance of President Joe Biden at the Swiss summit, slated for June 15-16, and criticised attempts to disrupt it.
"I invite your region, your leaders, countries to join so that your people are involved in these global affairs and by uniting against one war," Zelensky said in a passionate plea to delegates.
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"Time is running out, and the children are growing up in the Putin-land where they are taught to hate their homeland," he said.
Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who shared the stage with Zelensky, did not say whether his country's leaders would attend, but did note Singapore had condemned the invasion and provided Ukraine with military ambulances.
"We stand with you, and I think your appearance at this Shangri-La Dialogue is the epitome of what we are all hoping for, a rules-based order that guarantees the security and survival of large nations and small," he said.
Zelensky made a surprise stop at the forum to build momentum for an ambitious peace plan to end Russia's invasion of his country.
Ukraine's president arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel surrounded by an entourage of security personnel on Saturday night and was received by a swarm of reporters in the lobby. It marks his second trip to Asia since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
"More than 100 countries and international organisations have confirmed their participation in the summit," Zelensky said, adding that topics to be discussed include nuclear security, food security and the release of prisoners of war.
The Swiss-led peace summit is aimed at building on Zelensky's 10-point peace plan, which calls for the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and the withdrawal of Russian troops, among other terms.
It remains unclear which nations will send delegates to the summit.
In a press conference after his speech at Sunday's forum, Zelensky reiterated the call to Asian countries to support Ukraine by joining the peace summit.
"We need the support of Asian countries. It is much needed ... We want Asia to know what is going on in Ukraine, Asia to support the end of the war. We want Asian leaders to attend the peace summit," he said.
While many Asian countries have not supported Ukraine by supplying weapons, Ukraine would "always ask first and foremost" for political and humanitarian support, Zelensky said.
He added he would judge the success of his trip to Singapore on the "presence of representatives from Asia" at the coming summit.
Beijing will not send representatives as "arrangements for the meeting still fall far short of China's requests and the general expectations of the international community," a spokesman for the foreign ministry said at a briefing on Saturday.
An international peace conference should be endorsed by both Russia and Ukraine so that proposals can be "discussed in a fair and equal manner", the Chinese spokesman said.
Just hours before Zelensky's speech, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun said in an address that Beijing wanted to be careful not to pick sides between Russia and Ukraine, adding that it "never provided weapons to either party of the conflict".
Meanwhile, Washington has signalled its support for the summit but has not confirmed whether Biden will attend, a move Zelensky heavily criticised.
"I know that the US supports the summit but we don't know at what level," he said at a press conference last week. "[The] peace summit needs President Biden and so do the other leaders who look at the reaction of the United States. Putin will only applaud his absence, personally applaud it - and standing, at that."
Responding on Sunday to a question at his press briefing on Beijing's role in helping to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, Zelensky said China's support of Russia would likely prolong the war, which would be to the detriment of the world.
This would also go against China's claims over sovereignty and territorial integrity, he warned.
Russia had been using "Chinese influence on the [Asian] region" and diplomats to "disrupt the peace summit", he added, describing China as "an instrument in the hands of Putin".
In a Saturday statement issued on social media platform X, Zelensky said he planned to hold meetings with Singapore's president Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and investors from the city state, among others.
His surprise appearance came just hours after US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Indonesia's president-elect Prabowo Subianto had talked about the war in Ukraine in separate speeches.
In response to a question by a Chinese delegate, Austin said the Ukraine crisis was caused by Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to "unlawfully invade his neighbour who had an inferior military at that point in time", rejecting the assertion that the eastward expansion of Nato had led to the conflict.
"He assumed that he could very quickly roll over his neighbour and annex the country. That was two-plus years ago. He has not achieved any of his strategic objectives to this point. But this was brought on because of a decision made by Mr Putin."
Prabowo, meanwhile, urged delegates to "never lose sight of the dangers of escalation, the dangers of miscalculation, the danger of not understanding your adversary, of underestimating his legitimate interests."
"Indonesia is far from the region, but we view with deep sadness that humanitarian suffering, the geopolitical and economic ramifications that has impacted the whole world," he said.
Ukraine's president met Prabowo on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday.
On Sunday, Austin met Zelensky and reiterated Washington's "unwavering" support for Ukraine, according to a Pentagon statement. The two discussed US security assistance and pledged to further strengthen their countries' strategic defence partnership, it said.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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