Volodymyr Zelensky
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged China and other nations of the Global South to attend a peace summit in Switzerland next month.
The Swiss government declared that it would hold a high-level peace conference for Ukraine in mid-June, but said Russia would not attend.
Uncertainty surrounds China’s presence, which has stated that a lot of work must be done before the summit.
Ukrainian President stated, “Chinese leaders believe that if Russia loses the war… it is a victory for the United States”.
“It’s a victory for the West, and they want to find a balance between the two… That’s why I would like to see China involved in the peace summit”, the Ukrainian President continued.
Zelensky remarks came as Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China this week for talks in which the leaders presented their countries’ ties as a stabilizing force in a chaotic world.
China claims to be a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict and has sought to mediate.
However, it has been chastised, like other countries, particularly in the Global South, for refusing to condemn Moscow’s attack.
Zelensky issued a broader call for countries to send delegations to Switzerland.
“If there is no representative of your state, this is a public response that when you say that we all want peace, no, you want Russia to win”, Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian president mentioned three subjects on which there could be found in Switzerland.
The first, he claimed, was that free navigation in the Black Sea could improve global food security by allowing Ukraine to export grain.
Second, he hoped for a consensus on a call to end strikes on energy infrastructures.
Third, he lobbied for the return of thousands of deported children to Ukraine, a crime for which the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
Zelensky went on to say, “If we come out of the summit with these three steps with the majority of countries agreeing… it means that Russia will not block them further”.
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