Ukraine may consider participating in China-led peace summit: ambassador

kyiv would consider participating in a Beijing-led peace conference with Russia present if the talks are based on the principles of “the United Nations Charter and international law”, Ukraine’s ambassador to Singapore said, Kateryna Zelenko, in a media interview published on June 20.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Zelenko said Ukraine “does not and has never considered China its adversary” and wants to see it as “its friend.”

Switzerland hosted the world peace summit in Ukraine last week, but China was not among the more than 90 countries that accepted the invitation. Russia was not invited to attend.

Beijing lamented Russia’s absence and instead proposed an alternative peace process with Brazil, suggesting hosting a summit recognized by both kyiv and Moscow. China says it has managed to garner considerable international support for its project.

At the same time, Ukraine and Switzerland said they intend to continue their peace process and host a second summit, during which a Russian representative will be presented with a joint peace plan based on the Kiev 10-point formula and proposals from other countries.

Despite the limited success in engaging the Global South, Zelenko said the event was “a (diplomatic) success”, adding that “the fact that the summit took place is an important step in the whole process of peace”.

“All continents were represented by 100 delegations (of countries and organizations), which is a clear number of states that send a clear signal to Moscow that the world does not tolerate Russia’s violations of international law. “

kyiv has sought to involve China in peace efforts despite Beijing’s close ties with Moscow throughout the large-scale war. While declaring itself neutral and insisting it provides no lethal aid to either side, China is the main source of dual-use goods fueling Russia’s defense industry.

The peace summit in Ukraine fails to involve the countries of the South: can Ukraine broaden its coalition?

More than half of the signatories came from Europe. When you count other key Western allies outside of Europe – the United States, Canada and Australia – the disparity is even more striking.