Zelenskyy Accuses China of Helping Russia Disrupt Upcoming Ukraine Peace Summit

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 2, 2024. Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

News Analysis 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently accused Beijing of acting as Moscow’s instrument in supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine and disrupting an upcoming peace summit.

During a meeting in Singapore on June 2, President Zelenskyy criticized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), marking the first time he has directly accused the regime of helping Russia.

“Unfortunately, there are also attempts to disrupt the [Ukraine Peace] Summit,” he said. “We do not want to believe that this is a desire for monopolistic power in the world—to deny the global community the opportunity to decide on war and peace and to leave this power in the hands of one or two.”

In a subsequent press conference, the Ukrainian president said, “Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit.

“Regrettably, this is unfortunate that such a big, independent, powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of Putin,” he said.

“That is not only support to Russia, that is basically support of war.”

The summit, proposed by Ukraine, is set for June 15 and 16 in Switzerland. The CCP has said it won’t go because Russia was not invited.

On June 4, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a joint press conference in Beijing.

Mr. Wang said that a “six-point consensus” to resolve the Russia–Ukraine war, which was proposed by the CCP and Brazil, meets the expectations of most countries and that its contents have been affirmed by Russia and Ukraine.

He said China hopes that more countries will support the “six-point consensus,” which Mr. Fidan also welcomed.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a response, stating “all states that sincerely want peace to be restored should work together to ensure the summit is a success rather than making efforts to undermine it.”

The Ukraine ministry criticized the “high-ranking Chinese official” and said China’s presence at the summit would be a “significant signal of China’s balanced position,” after its four leader summits with Russia since the beginning of the war.

According to President Zelenskyy’s office, Kyiv sent invitations to about 160 governments and organizations. As of early June, 107 had indicated their participation.

The U.S. State Department has encouraged Beijing to participate in the summit, a State Department spokesperson told the press on June 6.

Tang Jingyuan, a senior China affairs commentator, believes the CPP is snubbing the summit because the core plan is unacceptable to Russia and China.

Mr. Tang also said it’s possible President Putin, while in China recently. asked Xi Jinping not to participate.

The summit will isolate Russia and China even more, he predicts.

“For these reasons, the CCP does not attend the summit itself and is trying to prevent other countries from attending,” he told The Epoch Times on June 8.

“This peace summit will also discuss important issues such as nuclear safety, food safety, and the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia, all of which are tough issues that the CCP is afraid or unwilling to face.”

CCP’s Diplomatic Relations With Ukraine

Communist China formed diplomatic relations with Ukraine in 1992. Until the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine War, the two had a relatively good relationship.

In 2013, Xi signed a Treaty of Friendship between the two countries with then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, pledging to commit to “further deepening the strategic partnership,” that was made in 1994.

In that agreement, China affirmed its commitment to providing security assurance to Ukraine, which stated that “no Party to the Treaty shall allow a third State to use its territory to undermine the national sovereignty, security or territorial integrity of the other Party.”

At the time, Ukraine’s military strength was much stronger than that of the CCP. Moreover, both the United States and Russia had imposed an arms blockade and embargo on the CCP. Ukraine sold almost all its assets inherited from the Soviet Union to the CCP, helping it to rapidly develop military power and complete military equipment.

China's sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, arrives in Hong Kong waters on July 7, 2017. Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

However, since Russia invaded Ukraine, the CCP has never condemned Russia’s aggression. Instead, it has emphasized its “unlimited cooperation” with Russia. The regime has continued to trade with Russia and supplied military-related materials.

In the international arena, the CCP endorsed Russia and used all available diplomatic means to oppose international sanctions against the latter, saying that “sanctions have never been a fundamentally effective way to solve problems.”

In April 2023, Xi and President Zelenskyy spoke for the first time since the war began in February 2022. By comparison, Xi had spoken to President Putin five times since the start of the invasion.

In April, the U.S. State Department stated that the CCP was supporting Russia’s war effort by helping it strengthen its defense production and supplying it with large quantities of machine beds, microelectronics, optics, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile technology, and other equipment.

In his speech in Singapore, President Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine had repeatedly tried to meet with Chinese representatives, including Xi, but had been turned down.

Mr. Tang said this is not the first time that Xi has reneged on his promises. Xi also promised not to militarize the islands in the South China Sea and to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

“It is not surprising that the CCP has turned its back on Ukraine,” he said.

“No matter how many promises the CCP has made to the world in the past, how much it has said that it would converge with the world and become a strategic partner, all these promises are unreliable.”