Exclusive | Ukraine peace summit is a ‘success’, China key to ending war: ambassador to Singapore

The summit in Switzerland is a ‘milestone in the entire peaceful process’ says Kateryna Zelenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Singapore

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Ukraine’s ambassador to Singapore Kateryna Zelenko. Photo: Ukraine’s embassy in Singapore

Published: 10:00am, 20 Jun 2024Updated: 11:15am, 20 Jun 2024

A senior Ukrainian diplomat has called the recently concluded peace summit in Switzerland a “success” despite the absence of many Asian countries, including China, stressing that Beijing is an important player that could help end Ukraine’s war with Russia.

“All continents were represented from 100 delegations, this is a clear number of states sending a clear signal to Moscow that the world does not tolerate Russia’s violation of international law, the UN Charter and the principles of the rules-based order,” said Kateryna Zelenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Singapore.

Speaking to This Week in Asia in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Zelenko said: “Of course, it was a [diplomatic] success. The fact that the summit took place is a milestone in the entire peaceful process, finding ways for just, lasting and comprehensive peace for Ukraine.”

Zelenko’s comments come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a passionate plea for global support of the peace summit during a surprise stop in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major security event, earlier this month.

The ambassador also stressed that her country “does not and has never seen China as its opponent”, but instead, wants to see Beijing as “its friend”, in response to a question about whether China had a hand in exerting Russian influence in Southeast Asia and if that deterred some regional countries from attending the summit.

Ukraine would consider participating in a Beijing-led peace summit with both warring sides present, so long as talks are based on the “rules and principles enshrined in the UN Charter [and] international law”, Zelenko said.

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