Yesterday, we discussed the Shangri-La defense forum in Singapore and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's cheerful words about Sino-American relations. But there were plenty of other speakers at the forum and not all of them were willing to paint such a rosy picture of Xi Jinping's policies. One such person was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (I still refuse to spell it with two Ys on the end. Sorry. Not sorry.) While anticipation has been growing around planned peace talks organized by Switzerland seeking a ceasefire in Ukraine, Zelensky essentially accused the Chinese of undermining that effort. He claimed that China is working behind the scenes to apply pressure on other countries to not send emissaries to the talks and that China is "an instrument in the hands of Putin." Zelensky did not provide any sources for this information. (Associated Press)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China of helping Russia to disrupt a Swiss-organized peace conference on the war in Ukraine, speaking at Asia’s premier security conference on Sunday.

In a news conference at the Shangri-La defense forum in Singapore, Zelenskyy said that China is pressuring other countries and their leaders not to attend the upcoming talks.

“Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit,” he said, according to a simultaneous translation of his remarks. “Regrettably this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in hands of Putin.”

Zelensky laid out some of his planned proposals for the peace summit and there weren't any big surprises. He mentioned nuclear security, food security, the release of prisoners, and the need for Russia to return Ukrainian children who have been abducted in Russian-held territories. He didn't offer up any specific things that Ukraine might be willing to do in exchange, but he did go as far as to say that he was “ready to hear various proposals and thoughts that lead us to an end of the war and a sustainable and just peace.”

A Chinese representative later responded by saying that they had been urging an end to the conflict from the beginning and that they had never provided any weapons to either side. That may be technically true, but they haven't been a neutral actor in the conflict either. China is obviously an equal partner in the new axis of evil and they have been purchasing vast quantities of cheap oil from the Russians, providing the Kremlin with plenty of cash to continue funding the war. They have also been sending parts that are needed for Russia to produce drones. Those aren't technically weapons, but they go into the manufacturing process, so that was a bit of a disingenuous statement on China's part.

The prospects for the Swiss peace talks remain unclear. There still has been no official confirmation from Moscow that Russia even plans to participate. Without them, the entire process would be effectively pointless. I imagine that Russia will send someone if only to release statements and put a positive face on the event. How many other global leaders send envoys will likely provide some revelations as to where everyone currently stands.

The biggest problem with the Swiss proposal is that the ball is entirely in Russia's court at the moment. The opinions of other countries that are currently imposing sanctions on Russia probably don't matter much to Putin. He has allies of his own that have stepped up and diminished the effectiveness of the sanctions. On top of that, he's currently winning the war and driving Ukraine further back along the eastern front. Why would he sacrifice anything? 

The only thing that might tempt Putin to come to some sort of resolution at the negotiating table is something that Zelensky can't offer on his own. The Russians might be willing to halt their advance and engage in a lasting ceasefire if other global leaders agreed to formally recognize new borders validating Russia's claim to the Ukrainian territory they have now taken over. That's going to be a bitter pill for many in the West to swallow, but it's difficult to see how this war ends otherwise short of Russian tanks rolling into Kyiv.