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

The ambassador also stressed that her country “does not view China as its enemy and has never done so,” but rather wants to see Beijing as “its friend.” This was in response to a question about whether China had been involved in the exercise of Russian influence in Southeast Asia and whether this had deterred some countries in the region from attending the summit.

Following the summit, China, together with Brazil, proposed an alternative peace process involving Russia and Ukraine.

At the Shangri-La Dialogue from May 31 to June 2, Zelensky said: “We need the support of Asian countries. It is urgently needed … We want Asia to know what is happening in Ukraine, to support an end to the war. We want Asian leaders to participate in the peace summit.”

He added that he would judge the success of his surprise stop in Singapore by the “presence of representatives from Asia” at the summit in Switzerland, his second visit to Asia since the invasion began in 2022.

Only three of Zelensky’s ten-point peace plan – nuclear security, food security and the return of prisoners of war and children abducted from Ukraine – were included in the summit’s final communiqué.

The Russian embassy in Singapore later sharply criticized Zelensky’s visit to the Shangri-La Dialogue, calling it a “bizarre” attempt to persuade the global South to participate in the summit. The Kremlin rejected the “near-zero” outcome of the summit after it was held, saying such peace talks were pointless without Russia’s participation.

On Wednesday, Zelenko said Ukraine was “grateful” for the participation of Asian countries in the summit, noting that it was the first time so many countries had taken part in such an event.

She urged the countries in the region “not to lose sight” of the war in Ukraine, because a failed solution to the conflict would cost the “weakest” states dearly.

“It is always the weakest who pay the highest price – the price of gold, the price of certain products not being on the shelves and many other things,” she said. “Many countries in Asia know the price of freedom and it is better to take the lead and stand up for it than to pay the price of doing nothing.”

“Making peace is never easy and has its price. But the price of doing nothing is higher.”

“This all-out war has brought so many true friends to Ukraine from this part of the world. We have seen so many incredible people who, when the war started, just went to the Polish border and tried to take in refugees, cook warm food for them, find warm clothes for children,” she said.

Regarding Singapore’s response to the war, Zelenko praised the city-state’s strong stance toward Moscow since the first days of the Russian invasion in 2022.

“Singapore is a country that respects the territorial integrity of states, their political independence and their sovereignty. The clear response from Singapore was a strong message from the start.”

Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sim Ann attended the summit and reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to international law and its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In March 2022, Singapore imposed export controls on items that could be used as weapons in the Ukraine war and ordered financial institutions not to do business with a list of Russian companies.

While the recent summit was a hopeful step for Ukraine, Zelenko stressed that there is still a long way to go before the war ends.

“The summit marked the start of the process of finding ways to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine. This is just the beginning. The work will continue with special groups, advisers and ministers dedicated to different elements of the peace formula,” she said.

“We cannot address one issue without the other. We cannot just focus on the release of prisoners of war without withdrawing troops. But we will discuss all of these elements in the coming months.”