President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to participate in the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore, which will take place from May 31 to June 2, Reuters reported, citing six undisclosed sources.
The Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's premier defense summit, held annually in Singapore by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), an independent think tank.
Security assistance for Ukraine is expected to be one of the key issues discussed at this year's dialogue, Reuters said. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun will also join the conference.
Zelensky plans to address delegates at the event on June 1, according to the news agency's undisclosed sources.
In what appears to be a conflicting report, the German news agency DPA wrote on May 30 that, according to a diplomatic source, Zelensky is expected to visit Saudi Arabia on June 1.
The Ukrainian president will attend the Shangri-La Dialogue ahead of the global peace summit, which will be held on June 15-16 in the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland. Some 90 countries have confirmed their participation in the event, according to the head of the state.
Zelensky previously said that Russia will attempt to disrupt the summit, aiming to reduce the number of participating countries.
China will not attend Ukraine's summit in June as the terms it required to attend were not met, according to Reuters, citing several sources.
Publicly, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that attending would be "difficult" as the "arrangement of the meeting still falls short of China's requirements and the expectations of the international community."
The U.S., in turn, confirmed its participation without specifying if President Joe Biden will attend.
Zelensky ruled out Russia's participation in the event, as it continues to attack Ukraine on a daily basis.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
