Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses China of being 'Russia's instrument' in disrupting Swiss peace summit

[oil&gas]

2 June 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused China of helping Russia disrupt a global peace conference in Switzerland.

Speaking at the Shangri-La defence forum in Singapore, Asia's premier security conference, on Sunday, Mr Zelenskyy said China is pressuring other countries and their leaders not to attend the "Summit on Peace in Ukraine", scheduled for 15-16 June.

"Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit," he said.

Ukraine-Russia war: Moscow warns it could go to war with NATO

"Regrettably this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."

China's foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Zelenskyy's accusation.

Appearing in a video last week, Mr Zelenskyy appealed to his US and China counterparts to join the Swiss summit, but Beijing said on Friday it would not be attending because Russia would not be taking part alongside Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden, on the other hand, is set to miss the summit so he can make it to California for a campaign fundraiser alongside George Clooney and Julia Roberts, Bloomberg reported.

Russia, which has found itself increasingly isolated from the West since it launched the full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour back in February 2022, has not been invited to the talks.

It says the summit will be meaningless without its presence.

In a speech earlier on Sunday, Mr Zelenskyy urged top defence officials to attend the forthcoming summit, saying he is disappointed at the failure of some countries to commit to joining.

Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has proposals to make at the summit as a basis for peace, addressing nuclear security, food security, the release of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

"Time is running out, and the children are growing up in the Putin-land where they are taught to hate their homeland," he said.

In Ukraine, emergency power shutdowns have been imposed in most of the country except for three regions, a day after Russia launched large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed it made gains in the eastern separatist province of Donetsk.

Saturday's drone and missile attacks on energy targets injured at least 19 people.

Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is "ready to hear various proposals and thoughts that lead us ... to an end of the war and a sustainable and just peace".

The greater the participation, the more likely it will be that Russia will have to listen, he added.

"The global majority can ensure with their involvement that what is agreed upon is truly implemented," he said.

Mr Zelenskyy said "we truly count on you supporting this summit, and that you will be present in Switzerland," while referring to Singapore and other countries in the region.

Earlier in the day in his address to the forum, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun did not specifically mention the Switzerland meetings, but did say "on the Ukraine crisis, China has been promoting peace talks with a responsible attitude".

He added China has not provided weapons to either side of the conflict.

"We have never done anything to fan the flames," he said. "We stand firmly on the side of peace and dialogue."

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also attended the conference and sat in the front row as Mr Zelenskyy spoke.

Mr Austin told the group that "Putin's war of aggression has provided us all with a preview of a world that none of us would want".

"We've all been inspired by the courage of Ukraine's troops and the resilience of Ukraine's people," he said.

"People around the world have rushed to help Ukraine defend itself, including countries across the Indo-Pacific."

Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses China of being 'Russia's instrument' in disrupting Swiss peace summit

The Ukrainian leader last week pleaded with his counterparts in China and the US to attend the summit in Switzerland in mid-June which is aimed at finding a peace solution for Ukraine, but both are set to miss it.

news.sky.com

 

[oil&gas]

China did the right thing not to join the summit. That way they
don't have to feel obliged to attend Peace in Taiwan summit in
the future.

 

[NotADcotor]

"Ukraine-Russia war: Moscow warns it could go to war with NATO"

Reminds me of this guy, and every group has at least one guy like that.

Oh he that ever happened to me why I would...

Yeah sod off, no you won't

Myself I like to do the, hey you know what I'd do if "someone stepped up to me/saw a pretty girl/any other situation that requires an assertive response"?
Nothing.

 

[Anbarandy]

Russian moving whatever is left of their anti-air systems out of Crimea, lest they will all be obliterated by western supplied weaponry utilized by Ukraine.

Russian losing an extraordinary number of these systems recently throughout eastern, northeastern Ukraine and within Russia.

Setting the stage for a rearmed Ukraine air force.

 

[oil&gas]

Setting the stage for sending F-35 jets to Ukraine after
all F-16 jets are destroyed (most likely at a heavy price
for Russia).

 

[Anbarandy]

Setting the stage for sending F-35 jets to Ukraine after
all F-16 jets are destroyed (most likely at a heavy price
for Russia).

You sound all bummed out about superior western MIC weapons systems obliterating the invader's weapons systems.

Get a grip.

 

[oil&gas]

You sound all bummed out about superior western MIC weapons systems obliterating the invader's weapons systems.

Get a grip.

I marvel at the strategy of providing economic, military and intelligence
support to a valet of coalition of world's most affluent nations to wear
down an enemy far inferior in economic and military strength. If one can
look past casualties inflicted on both sides of the conflict it will be quite a
wonderful spectacle to behold just for the duel between world's most
advanced fighter jets in the sky.

 

[oil&gas]

U.S. expands sanctions against Russia by targeting Chinese companies helping Putin’s war in Ukraine
Jun 12, 2024


The United States widened its sanctions against Russia Wednesday as G7 leaders prepared to gather in Italy for a summit where the top priorities will be boosting support for Ukraine and grinding down Russia’s war machine.

Wednesday’s package targeted Chinese companies which help Russia pursue its war in Ukraine and raised the stakes for foreign financial institutions which work with sanctioned Russian entities.

It also targeted Russia’s financial infrastructure, in an attempt to limit the amount of money flowing in and out of Russia. Shortly after the sanctions were made public, the Moscow Exchange announced it would suspend transactions in dollars and euros.

The U.S. has sanctioned more than 4,000 Russian businesses and individuals since the war began, in an effort to choke off the flow of money and armaments to Moscow, whose superior firepower has given it an advantage on the battlefield in recent months. Nonetheless, new companies continually pop up as Russia attempts to rework supply chains.

“We have to be very honest with ourselves that Putin is a very capable adversary who is willing to adapt and find those willing collaborators,” Aaron Forsberg, the State Department’s Director for Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation, told The Associated Press.

Sanctions against Russia, he said, are therefore a “dynamic affair.”

That includes listing addresses for the first time in a bid to crack down on companies reopening at the same address under a different name.

While sanctions have not stopped the flow of illicit goods, the aim is to make it harder for Russia to source crucial technology as well as drive up the markup on the goods. Wednesday’s package targets more than $100 million in trade between Russia and suppliers for its war.

More than 300 new sanctions are largely aimed at deterring individuals and companies in countries including China, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey from helping Moscow circumvent Western blocks on obtaining key technology. They also threaten foreign financial institutions with sanctions if they do business with almost any sanctioned Russian entity, underscoring the U.S. view that the Kremlin has pivoted the Russian economy to a war footing.

Russia’s military is “desperate for access to the outside world,” said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

The announcement came shortly before President Joe Biden arrived in Italy where he and other G7 leaders are urgently looking at aiding Ukraine, including turning frozen Russian assets into billions of dollars of support for Kyiv.

Seven Chinese and Hong-Kong-based companies were targeted Wednesday for shipping millions of dollars of material to Russia, including items which could be used in Russian weapons systems.

U.S. officials say China is the leading supplier of critical components to Russia, supplying both Chinese and Western technology.

On Wednesday the U.S. sanctioned a Chinese state-owned defense company which officials said had shipped military equipment for use in the Russian defense sector.

The move sends the message that the U.S. is “willing to wade into more treacherous territory” by increasing the pressure on the Chinese government, said Benjamin Hilgenstock, senior economist at the Kyiv School of Economics.

“We will address (China’s) support for the Russian defense industrial base. And we will confront China’s non-market policies that are leading to harmful global spillovers,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Tuesday.

China did not sanction Russia after President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, and Putin ended a visit to China in May by emphasizing the two countries’ burgeoning strategic ties.

“The Chinese leadership is not interested in making these sanctions a success,” said Janis Kluge, a Russia sanctions specialist at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin (SWP.)

Beijing, Kluge said, is reluctant to stop a valuable trade that is worth large
amounts of money and it does not want to “add to the pressure on Putin in this war.”

Imports from China are vital to Russia because Beijing is a major producer of critical components, including for Western companies. Chinese companies also act as intermediaries for the sale and shipment of Western components to Russia.

But while Chinese technology has been found on the battlefield in Ukraine, most of the components still come from Western nations including those which are “overwhelmingly” found in high-tech drones and ballistic missiles, said Hilgenstock.

As well as China, the U.S. targeted businesses in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates which officials said sent high-priority items to companies in Russia, including to businesses which were already sanctioned.

In December, the White House said foreign financial institutions could be sanctioned if they worked with entities in Russia’s defense sector. Wednesday’s expansion of sanctions now means that those institutions could face such measures if they work with almost any sanctioned Russian entity.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s top foreign policy adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters on the way to the G7 that the message to China and other countries was that they are “at serious risk of running afoul of the Treasury Department and falling under a sanctions regime.”

The fear of triggering secondary sanctions is an effective threat, analysts said.

While President Xi Jinping may not want to facilitate Western sanctions on Russia, “Chinese banks have always been very careful not to become a target of secondary sanctions because it would be very costly,” Kluge said, pointing to cases where Chinese banks have ended relationships with Russian customers.

The package also aims to hobble the development of Russia’s energy sector and future sources of cash, including Arctic liquified natural gas projects which have been shipped critical LNG technology by a Chinese company.

In addition, the package targeted people involved in the forced transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Five people in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine were sanctioned after participating in the forced militarization and reeducation of the children and providing them with Russian passports.

U.S. expands sanctions against Russia by targeting Chinese companies helping Putin's war in Ukraine

The United States widened its sanctions against Russia with a package targeting Chinese companies which help Russia pursue its war in Ukraine.

www.pbs.org

 

[oil&gas]

 

[SchlongConery]

These "Security Agreements" appear to be meaningless photo ops.

Just six months ago a couple of Trumptard House Representatives derailed the entire war for the Ukrainians at the behest of Trump and/or "owning" the Biden administration.

If Trump gets elected, you can be damned sure that Putin will send a reminder to Trump of whatever they have on Trump in a 'brown envelope' . The is no doubt that the crafty, excellent intelligence and propaganda of Russia is superior to any country in the universe. No doubt that they have kompromat of some sort on Trump. And likely have great indirect influence on Trump's collossal debts.

So Trump can, and will, veto anything he is directed to by Russia. Including this Security Agreement. Just like he did on the Paris Accord.

Hopefully, the Biden administration has somehow put enough irrevokable terms and poison pills in the Agreement such that Trump can't so easily ignore it. He has proven he has no respect for the credibility of the United States in terms of honouring legal contracts, nor the law.

Hopefully, it is heavily front end loaded in case things change in January 2025.

 

[oil&gas]

...............................................
If one can
look past casualties inflicted on both sides of the conflict it will be quite a
wonderful spectacle to behold just for the duel between world's most
advanced fighter jets in the sky.

We will likely see Mirage 2000-5 jets joining force with F-16 jets
first before F-35 jets are finally deployed. The war may turn out
to be protracted for years but there is already enough excitement
to stimulate interest of war game designer if not Hollywood film
producers.

French Mirage-2000 fighters are headed to Ukraine. Here’s how Kyiv will use them. - Breaking Defense

The French aircraft would potentially be the second western fighter aircraft to be flown by Ukraine’s armed forces, joining US-made F-16s. But can Ukraine handle a split fleet, and what missions will the Mirage fly?

breakingdefense.com