Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China on Sunday of working hard to stop countries from going to a peace summit, which Beijing has publicly criticized because Russia is not invited.
Zelenskyy made the remarks at a security forum in Singapore as he sought to rally support for the conference and appealed for more military aid for Ukraine, which has been ceding ground to Russian troops.
“China, unfortunately, is working hard today to prevent countries from coming to the peace summit,” Zelenskyy told reporters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, which draws defense officials from around the world.
Beijing believes the conference “should have the recognition of Russia and Ukraine, equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace plans,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference on Friday.
“Otherwise, it is difficult for the conference to play a substantive role in restoring peace,” she said.
Zelensky also expressed disappointment that “some world leaders” had not signed up to the conference, with China signaling Xi Jinping will not attend while US President Joe Biden is yet to commit.
China said it would be “difficult” for it to attend if Russia did not participate, which Ukraine has rejected.
Through the peace summit, Kyiv hopes to win broad international backing for its vision of the terms needed to end Russia’s war.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday that more than 100 countries and organizations had signed up to the conference, and he urged Asia-Pacific nations to join.
The peace summit threatens to be overshadowed if key Ukraine backer Biden — who is locked in an election campaign against Donald Trump and has given no sign he would participate — ultimately stays away.
Zelensky said China was “a tool in Putin’s hands” and accused Russia of using Chinese influence and diplomats to do “everything to disrupt the peace summit.”
While China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, it has been criticized for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.