President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his Singaporean counterpart, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on June 2.
Zelensky thanked Singapore’s clear stance on the war in Ukraine and discussed prospects of bilateral relations with Shanmugaratnam, the President’s Office said in a statement.
It added that Zelensky stressed Kyiv’s interest in stepping up its relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) “to a new level.”
The Zelensky-Shanmugaratnam meeting came ahead of the global peace summit, which will be held on June 15-16 in the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland, where Ukraine is preparing to present proposals on how to achieve just and lasting peace with Russia. Zelensky said 106 countries have confirmed their participation in the event. China is said to have declined the invitation.
Zelensky also informed Shanmugaratnam about the preparations for the summit in Switzerland, according to the statement released on June 2.
Speaking on the final day of the Shangri-La Dialogue conference, the largest defense forum in the region, Zelensky called on Asian leaders to attend the upcoming global peace summit in Switzerland.
"I would really want the leader of Singapore to support Ukraine with his personal participation in the peace summit," Zelensky said, as cited by Nikkei Asia.
Ukraine plans for the summit to address several key areas, such as energy security, the exchange of captives, the return of deported children, global food security, and other topics.
Zelensky has also met the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, and the top executives of Singapore's investment companies, according to the President's Office. The businessmen represented firms, including Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, investment fund Temasek Holdings, Wilmar International, Singapore Business Federation, and construction company Meinhardt Group.
Zelensky stressed that the Ukrainian economy is adapting to the new reality and still growing despite the war. He told the businessmen that the technology and innovation field could have great potential in growing the Ukraine-Singapore trade.
Singapore has supported Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, imposing economic sanctions against Moscow. Like many Asian countries, it has thus far only provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Chris York
