2024-01-17 17:09:07
2024-01-18 01:09 Compiled by Mao Yi of United Daily News/Comprehensive Report Ukrainian President Zelensky attended the World Economic Forum in Davos on the 16th to seek assistance from various countries in the fight once morest Russia.AFP
The second anniversary of the Russo-Ukrainian war is approaching. On the 15th, Ukrainian President Zelensky asked Switzerland, a permanently neutral country, to host a peace summit attended by world leaders to bring an end to Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. He also stated that he very much hopes that mainland China will participate in the Ukrainian peace plan and this summit. However, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who led a large delegation to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, was unable to read Zelensky’s words from a distance when delivering a keynote speech to business leaders on the 16th.
Before attending the WEF, Zelenskiy first held talks with Swiss President Armshed in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. After the meeting, Zelensky stated that he would prepare for a global peace summit to be held in Switzerland, which “must determine the end of this war and it must be a just end.” In a speech at WEF on the 16th, he claimed that this year will be a decisive year for the war. He also described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “predator” who would not stop invading Ukraine.
Zelensky also said, “Of course we hope that the countries of the Global South will join us,” and “we very much hope that China will participate in our peace plan and this summit.” When asked whether Russia was invited to participate in the summit, Zelensky did not answer directly. He only said that Ukraine accepts all countries in the world that respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, implying that Russia was not invited.
The Ukrainian plan calls for Russia to fully withdraw its troops from all Ukrainian territories including Crimea; pay compensation for the invasion of Ukraine; prosecute Ukrainian war crimes; ensure the safety of Ukrainian nuclear facilities, export grain, and exchange prisoners of war. However, the New York Times quoted analysts who supported the proposal as reporting that given the current situation on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, none of the requirements might be met.
Regarding Zelensky’s public invitation to China to participate in the peace conference, Li Qiang, who led ten senior Chinese government ministers to attend the WEF, said nothing regarding Zelensky’s proposal and did not mention the Russo-Ukrainian war or the intensification of war in his keynote speech. The Israel-Kazakhstan war in the El Salvador Corridor did not mention the Taiwan presidential election, but focused on economic and trade, investment and artificial intelligence (AI) issues.
A total of more than 2,800 leaders from 120 countries attended the annual WEF, including more than 60 heads of state. According to a Archyde.com report on the 16th, although Zelensky emphasized the importance of Russia’s ally China to participate in the summit, there was no “Zelen-Li meeting” on the official agenda of this WEF.
On the 15th, the Swiss government stated that at Zelenskiy’s request, it had agreed to co-host a summit on the peace plan for the Ukraine war, and was arranging the possible time, location and other details.
Moscow said in this regard that since Russia did not participate in the discussions, the Swiss Peace Conference might not achieve any results, and any negotiations must take into account the “new reality” established by the Russian military.
White House National Security Adviser Sullivan revealed in a speech in Davos on the followingnoon of the 16th that he and US Secretary of State Blinken met with Zelensky earlier that day. Sullivan said that the Ukrainian people are determined to continue to resist Russia, and the United States and its partners will continue to stand with the Ukrainians.
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