Ukraine's Zelenskiy arrives in Singapore for Shangri-La Dialogue, in hopes of rallying support from Asian countries

SINGAPORE – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Singapore on June 1, as he seeks to rally a broader swathe of support for his country, which faces a renewed assault two years after Russian forces invaded.

Forum organisers confirmed that Mr Zelenskiy is slated to speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue’s seventh plenary session on June 2 titled “Re-Imagining Solutions for Global Peace and Regional Stability”. Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin will also be speaking at the same session.

A well-positioned source told The Straits Times that the Ukrainian delegation hopes to meet the Chinese delegation led by Defence Minister Dong Jun in Singapore.

“He meets the Americans and Europeans all the time, so he would want to use this forum to reach out to the Asian community,” the source said.

Asked if Admiral Dong would agree to meet Mr Zelenskiy, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said: “I do not answer hypothetical questions.”

The Ukrainian President has been trying to lobby countries to support a peace summit to be held in Switzerland on June 15 and 16, where he hopes to win broad international backing for his vision of the terms needed to end Russia’s war.

Russia has made clear it would not be taking part in the high-level conference, and China has said that it would be “difficult” for it to attend if Russia did not participate.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Defence Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto did not give a firm answer when asked at the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 1 if Indonesia would be sending a high-level delegation to the summit. He replied that he is not yet the Indonesian president, and does not have the authority to make the decision.

Mr Zelenskiy arrived at the Shangri-La hotel in Orange Grove Road shortly before 6pm.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlHt0I2Syz4[/embed]

After his arrival, Mr Zelenskiy wrote in a social media post on X that “global security is impossible when the world’s largest country disregards recognised borders, international law, and the UN Charter, resorts to hunger, darkness, and nuclear blackmail”, referring to Russia.

He added that restoring just peace for Ukraine and ensuring global food and nuclear security will be the aims of the global peace summit in Switzerland. “And this is why the Asia-Pacific voice must be heard there,” he wrote.

During his time in Singapore, Mr Zelenskiy said, he would meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Singaporean investors.

A US defence official said that Mr Austin will “discuss the current battlefield situation in Ukraine and... underscore US commitment to ensuring Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression”.

Mr Zelenskiy’s attendance at the 2024 edition of Asia’s premier security conference comes as security assistance for his country is expected to be one of the key issues discussed at the security summit.

[embed]https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1796849879966163164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1796849879966163[/embed]

Reports of Mr Zelenskiy’s possible attendance at the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue surfaced on May 31, the first day of the three-day forum.

He last spoke at the Dialogue remotely in 2022, when he appeared via videoconference wearing a black T-shirt bearing an illustration designed by a Singaporean teenager of a girl spray-painting the blue and yellow colours of the Ukraine flag.

Organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the annual Shangri-La Dialogue is attended by defence ministers from around the world, including Mr Austin and Adm Dong.

There has been no Russian delegation at the Singapore security meetings since 2022.

ALSO READ: Ukraine's Zelenskiy says Russia putting pressure on countries to shun peace summit

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.