SINGAPORE: Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy met with heads of state and legislators in Singapore late on Saturday (Jun 1) and early on Sunday, seeking security assistance and support for a peace summit after arriving for a surprise visit to the Shangri-La Dialogue.
On the social media platform X, Zelenskyy said he had met with Indonesia’s president-elect, Prabowo Subianto; a delegation from the US Congress; and the president of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta.
“It is very important for us to begin the process of establishing a just peace,” Zelenskiy said. “Russia does not want to end the war. Therefore, we must work together with the entire world to bring peace closer.”
He said Ramos-Horta had agreed to attend the summit, scheduled for mid-June in Switzerland. At last year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, Prabowo had proposed an Indonesian plan for ending the war in Ukraine.
In an address to delegates on Sunday, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun said his country had been careful not to support either Russia or Ukraine.
“On the Ukraine crisis, China has been promoting peace talks with a responsible attitude,” he said. “We have never provided weapons to either party of the conflict. We have put strict controls on exports of dual-use items, and have never done anything to fan the flames. We stand firmly on the side of peace and dialogue.”
