On Sunday, June 2nd, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Chinese Communist Party of pressuring other countries and their leaders not to participate in the upcoming Ukraine War and Peace Summit to be held in Switzerland. Zelenskyy did not specify which countries the CCP had pressured in his speech.
During a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore, President Zelenskyy stated that Russia was leveraging Chinese influence in the region, as well as Chinese diplomats, to disrupt the peace summit. The CCP cited Russia not being invited as the reason for refusing to attend the summit on June 15th and 16th in Switzerland.
Zelenskyy emphasized that CCP’s actions were not just in support of Russia but essentially in support of the war. It is rare for the Ukrainian President to publicly condemn the CCP, as he had previously been cautious in his remarks towards China, hoping to reduce Chinese support for Russia.
Zelenskyy also criticized the CCP for refusing to meet with Ukrainian officials, including Xi Jinping. He confirmed that he did not meet with any CCP officials during the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Despite the CCP’s claims of neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, there is evidence indicating a deepening economic relationship between Beijing and Moscow, with reports suggesting that Chinese components are found in Russian weaponry.
Notably, the statement by the Chinese Defense Minister during the Shangri-La Dialogue mentioned that Beijing had not provided weapons to any conflicting party and strictly controls the export of dual-use military products.
Amidst escalating sanctions on Russia by Western countries, including the United States and Ukraine, evidence suggests that China has been indirectly supporting Russia by providing economic lifelines and components for Russian weaponry.
As the CCP has declined to send representatives to the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland, they have proposed hosting their own peace summit and have invited both Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
When asked about Ukraine’s participation in the CCP’s proposal for a peace summit, Zelenskyy emphasized that China had no authority to convene such a meeting. He stressed that Ukraine, as a victim of the war, must have a say in determining its resolution, highlighting the atrocities committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians. Zelenskyy reiterated that the suffering inflicted by the war is a matter that Ukraine must have a significant role in defining.