Zelensky says China working hard to ‘prevent’ countries from attending peace summit

Update Zelensky says China working hard to ‘prevent’ countries from attending peace summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky president has been touring European nations in recent days seeking more military aid for Ukrainian troops. (AFP)
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Updated 02 June 2024
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Zelensky says China working hard to ‘prevent’ countries from attending peace summit

Zelensky says China working hard to ‘prevent’ countries from attending peace summit
  • Ukraine is trying to whip up attendance at the peace meeting in Switzerland this month
  • Zelensky said more than 100 countries and organizations had signed up to the conference

SINGAPORE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday China was working hard to stop countries from going to a peace summit, which Beijing has publicly criticised because Russia is not invited.
“China, unfortunately, is working hard today to prevent countries from coming to the peace summit,” Zelensky told reporters on the sidelines of a security forum in Singapore.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed disappointment that “some world leaders” had not signed up to a peace summit, after China signalled Xi Jinping would not attend and with Joe Biden yet to commit.

Zelensky made the remarks at a security forum in Singapore as he appealed for more military aid for Ukraine, which has been ceding ground to Russian troops.

Ukraine is also trying to whip up attendance at the peace meeting in Switzerland this month where it hopes to win broad international backing for its vision of the terms needed to end Russia’s war.

Zelensky said more than 100 countries and organizations had signed up to the conference, and he urged Asia-Pacific nations to join.

“We are disappointed that some world leaders have not yet confirmed their participation in the peace summit,” Zelensky said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, without mentioning China or the United States by name.

The peace summit threatens to be overshadowed if key Ukraine backer Biden — who is locked in campaigning against Donald Trump and has given no sign he would participate — ultimately stays away.

China also said Friday it would be “difficult” to participate in the conference if Russia did not participate.

Beijing believes the conference “should have the recognition of Russia and Ukraine, equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace plans,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference.

“Otherwise, it is difficult for the conference to play a substantive role in restoring peace,” she said.

Zelensky also met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday on the sidelines of the Singapore security forum. Zelensky told reporters they had a “very good” meeting.

In a post on X, Zelensky said the pair discussed “the defense needs of our country, bolstering Ukraine’s air defense system, the F-16 coalition, and drafting of a bilateral security agreement.”

In a readout of the talks, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said Austin reiterated “unwavering US support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.”

Austin also “reaffirmed the US commitment to maintaining the strong support of a coalition of over fifty countries to help Ukraine defend its freedom,” Ryder said.

The meeting came after Washington decided to partially lift restrictions on using US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia, which Zelensky has hailed as a “step forward.”

Zelensky and Austin last met face-to-face in December in Washington, where Zelensky made a last-ditch plea for US aid before it ran out.

The US Congress approved in April a $61-billion aid package for Ukraine following months of political wrangling, unlocking much-needed arms for the country’s outgunned troops.

Chinese defense spokesman Wu Qian told AFP he was not aware of any plans for Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun to meet with Zelensky in Singapore.

Ukraine is struggling to hold back a Russian ground offensive in the Kharkiv region, where Moscow recently made its largest territorial gains in 18 months.

Zelensky has been touring European nations in recent days seeking more military aid for Ukrainian troops, and warning partners of the risks if they show any signs of fatigue over the war.

“It is very important for Ukrainians that the world does not get tired... that the world understands that it cannot get tired of the war launched by the aggressor,” Zelensky said in Portugal on Tuesday.


Putin proposes direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, ‘without preconditions’

Putin proposes direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, ‘without preconditions’
Updated 55 min 29 sec ago
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Putin proposes direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, ‘without preconditions’

Putin proposes direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, ‘without preconditions’

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed holding direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, hours after Kyiv and European leaders called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to start Monday.

“We are determined to have serious negotiations ... to eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” Putin told reporters in a middle of the night statement at the Kremlin.

“We do not exclude that during these talks we will be able to agree on some new ceasefire,” he added, without directly addressing the call made by the leaders of Ukraine, Britain, France, Germany and Poland for a ceasefire to start Monday.

(Developing story)


Bangladesh’s interim government bans the former ruling party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh’s interim government bans the former ruling party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Updated 11 May 2025
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Bangladesh’s interim government bans the former ruling party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh’s interim government bans the former ruling party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
  • The ban would stay in place until a special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders over the deaths of hundreds of students

DHAKA, Bangladesh: The interim government in Bangladesh on Saturday banned all activities of the former ruling Awami League party headed by former influential Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted last year in a mass uprising.
Asif Nazrul, the country’s law affairs adviser, said late Saturday the interim Cabinet headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus decided to ban the party’s activities online and elsewhere under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban would stay in place until a special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders over the deaths of hundreds of students and other protesters during an anti-government uprising in July and August last year.
“This decision is aimed at ensuring national security and sovereignty, protection of activists of the July movement, and plaintiffs and witnesses involved in the tribunal proceedings,” Nazrul told reporters after a special Cabinet meeting.
Nazrul said the meeting Saturday also expanded scope for trying any political parties involving charges of killing during the anti-Hasina protest being handled by the International Crimes Tribunal.
He said a government notification regarding the ban would be published soon with details.
Hasina and many of her senior party colleagues have been accused of murder in many cases after her ouster last year. Hasina has been in exile in India since Aug. 5 as her official residence was stormed by protesters soon after she left the country.
The United Nations human rights office in a report said in February that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during three weeks of anti-Hasina protest.
Saturday night’s dramatic decision came after thousands of protesters, including supporters of a newly formed political party by students, took to the streets in Dhaka and issued an ultimatum to ban the Awami League party by Saturday night. The members of the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami party also prominently took part in the protest.
There was no immediate reaction from Hasina or her party, but the chief of the National Citizen Party, Nahid Islam, who is also a student leader, applauded the Yunus-led government for its decision.
The student-led uprising ended Hasina’s 15 years of rule, and three days after her fall Yunus took the helm as interim leader.


France in talks with Britain, Ukraine about potential troops, Macron tells paper

France in talks with Britain, Ukraine about potential troops, Macron tells paper
Updated 10 May 2025
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France in talks with Britain, Ukraine about potential troops, Macron tells paper

France in talks with Britain, Ukraine about potential troops, Macron tells paper
  • “We’re working on the presence and strategic footprint of the partner countries,” Macron said
  • “The key is to have troops in Ukraine“

PARIS: France is consulting with partners on how to potentially support Ukraine in its struggle with Russia with troops, French President Emmanuel Macron told newspaper Le Parisien on Saturday, without elaborating on what such a presence could include.

“We are working on the presence and strategic footprint of the partner countries. There have been several exchanges between our British, French and Ukrainian chiefs of staff, who have coordinated the work with all their partners, and all this is becoming clearer and making progress,” Macron was cited in the article.

“The key is to have troops in Ukraine,” he added.

Major European powers including France threw their weight behind an unconditional 30-day Ukraine ceasefire, with the backing of US President Donald Trump.

Macron joined the leaders of Britain, Germany and Poland on a visit to Kyiv on Saturday during which they held a phone call with Trump.


Seven dead after heavy rain hits Mogadishu

Seven dead after heavy rain hits Mogadishu
Updated 10 May 2025
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Seven dead after heavy rain hits Mogadishu

Seven dead after heavy rain hits Mogadishu
  • Floodwaters also damaged key infrastructure, halting public transport

MOGADISHU: At least seven people have died, and major roads were cut off after heavy rains led to flooding in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, on Friday night due to an overwhelmed drainage system and a growing urban population.

The regional administration spokesperson, Abdinasir Hirsi Idle, said on Saturday that rescue efforts were ongoing.

“The death toll could rise because the rains were heavy and lasted for several hours, causing nine houses to collapse across different neighborhoods, and at least six major roads to suffer severe damage,” he said.

Somalia has in the past suffered extreme climate shocks, including prolonged dry seasons that have caused drought and heavy rains that have resulted in floods.

Friday’s rains went on for about eight hours, leaving waist-high waters in neighborhoods where some residents were trapped and others were forced to move to higher ground.

A resident, Mohammed Hassan, said that some older people were still trapped.

“We spent the night on rooftops, shivering from the cold, and I have not even had breakfast,” he said.

Floodwaters also damaged key infrastructure, halting public transport and temporarily disrupting operations at the main airport, Aden Abdulle International Airport. 

Officials later confirmed flights had resumed operations.

The Somali Disaster Management Agency has not yet released an official death toll, but said an assessment was underway to determine the extent of the damage.

In a statement on Saturday, the country’s Energy and Water Ministry said: “A substantial amount of rainfall, exceeding 115 mm, was recorded in over 8 consecutive hours” and warned of flash floods in other regions outside the capital.


Marcos camp takes on Duterte clan in key poll

Marcos camp takes on Duterte clan in key poll
Updated 10 May 2025
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Marcos camp takes on Duterte clan in key poll

Marcos camp takes on Duterte clan in key poll
  • Most voters back senate candidates who assert Philippine sovereignty: Survey

MANILA: In political rallies, Senate hearings, and voter surveys ahead of Monday’s midterm elections in the Philippines, China has been an overwhelming — and unusual — presence.

The shadow of its giant maritime neighbor has loomed over the Philippines for years. 

However, as the country’s two most prominent political clans flex their muscles in the usually low-key process to pick senators and local government leaders, relations with China have emerged as a political lightning rod.

The outcome could shape the country’s strategic positioning over the remaining half of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s six-year term, which began in 2022.

“Will we allow ourselves to return to the time when our leaders wanted us to become a province of China?” Marcos asked voters at a rally in February, in a dig at predecessor Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Sara, who is currently vice president and a key Marcos rival.

During his 2016 to 2022 term, Duterte shifted foreign policy on China, adopting conciliatory rhetoric and downplaying disputes in the South China Sea. 

The strategy drew concern from Washington and raised questions about the Philippines’ longstanding security alliance with the US.

In contrast, Marcos has moved to rekindle and deepen ties with Washington.

“These are hot-button issues that many Filipino voters can relate to, particularly on the issue of China. There was a time in the past when foreign policy did not matter that much during elections,” said Ederson Tapia, professor of public administration at the University of Makati.

“But now it does.”

An April survey found that most voters in the country of 110 million prefer candidates who assert Philippine sovereignty in the South China Sea, where the Marcos-led administration has taken a more assertive stance in its maritime confrontations with Beijing, which continue unabated.

It is a sentiment that Marcos has tapped into since he started his campaign for the slate of Senate candidates that he is backing.

In the February rally, Marcos pointed to his candidates, saying: “None of them were applauding China when our coast guard was being bombed with water, when our fishermen were being blocked, when their catch was stolen, and our islands seized to become part of another country.”

The Duterte camp enjoyed a surge of sympathy when he was arrested by the International Criminal Court in March and taken to The Hague, but Marcos’ candidates remain ahead in polls and appear poised to dominate the Senate race.

A Duterte spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Through a months-long campaign, Marcos has kept up the pressure and focused on China as a key election issue, while his allies have aimed at Sara Duterte for her silence on China’s actions.

Sara, a likely future presidential candidate, was once a Marcos ally but now faces an impeachment trial on charges including a threat to assassinate the president if she were harmed.

In the Philippines, the 24-member Senate acts as the jury in any impeachment trial, making the midterms even more consequential in determining Sara Duterte’s political future.

Sara, who denied wrongdoing, responded to her impeachment with defiance, asking the Supreme Court to nullify the complaint against her.

A strong mandate for Marcos would not only define his ability to govern decisively in the remaining three years of his term but would also shape the 2028 presidential race, said Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, a political analyst and founder of Stratbase Group, a research and advisory firm.

Marcos is limited to a single term under the Constitution and is expected to anoint a successor. Sara Duterte would also be eligible to run in 2028 if she survives impeachment.

“Those who will run need to be tested on consistency about these issues,” Manhit said, referring to protecting the Philippines’ maritime rights and sovereignty.

“And one of them is the current vice president. She has not spoken against this coercion by China.”

A spokesperson for Sara Duterte did not respond to a request for comment.

The midterm election comes amid a proliferation of disinformation in the Philippines. Inauthentic accounts have driven up to 45 percent of discussions about the elections on social media, Reuters reported last month.

The use of fake accounts and paid influencers for political operations is widespread in the Philippines, but a top security official and a senator alleged last month that Chinese state-sponsored groups might be attempting to influence Filipinos.

China’s foreign ministry and its embassy in Manila have rejected the accusations.