Ukrainian President Zelensky said China should participate in the peace summit in Switzerland next month.
Kiev:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Friday in an interview with AFP for China and the countries of the South to participate in a peace summit in Switzerland next month.
The Swiss government announced it would host a high-level peace conference for Ukraine in mid-June, but said Russia would not attend.
There is uncertainty about China’s presence, which says “a lot of work” needs to be done before the conference.
Chinese leaders believe that “if Russia loses the war… it will be a victory for the United States,” Zelensky said.
“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.”
His comments came as Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China this week for talks in which leaders framed ties with their nations as a stabilizing force in a chaotic world.
China says it is a neutral party in the conflict in Ukraine and has tried to play a mediating role.
But the country has been criticized, like others, especially in the South, for refusing to condemn Moscow’s offensive.
Zelensky made a broader call for countries to send delegations to Switzerland.
“If there is no representative of your state, this is a public reaction: if you say we all want peace, no, you want Russia to win.”
The Ukrainian president pointed to three issues on which consensus could be found in Switzerland.
The first, he said, was that free shipping in the Black Sea could strengthen global food security by allowing Ukrainian grain exports.
Second, he hoped for an agreement on a call to end strikes on energy infrastructure.
Third, he advocated the return to Ukraine of thousands of children deported to Russia, a crime for which the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
“If we come out of the summit with these three steps and the majority of countries agree… it means that Russia will not block them any further.”
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