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Ukraine peace summit: Asean divided over attendance amid fears of ‘missing the boat’
- The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have signalled they’ll be there, while Laos and Vietnam could give it a miss – and the rest?
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Southeast Asian countries are divided on whether to attend a Switzerland-led peace summit on the Ukraine war, with Indonesia expected to show up so as not to “miss the boat” while Malaysia may skip it to focus on other issues, according to observers.
During a surprise stop at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Asian nations to join the summit this weekend, stressing that “time is running out”.
“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 at the security forum.
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Zelensky added he would judge the success of his trip to Singapore on the “presence of representatives from Asia” at the coming talks, hosted by Switzerland at the request of the Ukrainian leader.
The summit is aimed at building on Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan, key elements of which call for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the withdrawal of Russian troops.
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A total of 160 countries have been invited, and more than 100 governments are said to have accepted the invitation. Russia is reportedly not invited. Among Southeast Asian countries, East Timor, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have confirmed their attendance.
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