The reason why the Ukrainian President suddenly changed his stance towards China

According to the Kyiv Post (Ukraine) on June 6, during his visit to Southeast Asia earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly criticized China for supporting Russia's efforts to disrupt the peace conference in Switzerland scheduled to take place on June 15-16.

Speaking at a press conference while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, President Zelensky said: “Russia, using China’s influence in the region, is doing everything to prevent the peace summit. We do not expect military support from China. We have never asked them. But we do not expect China to provide defense support to Russia.”

In response, China noted that it never “added fuel to the fire” – a phrase often used by Beijing to describe its stance on the conflict in Ukraine – and that Beijing’s stance on the peace conference was “open and transparent.”

Although the growing trade cooperation between China and Russia is well known, President Zelensky's criticism seems to indicate a change in Ukraine's approach to China, the Kyiv Post said.

Ukraine's past attitude towards China

Kiev has long sought to gain Beijing’s support, careful not to harshly criticize the Sino-Russian friendship. Ukraine has also tried to convince China to support President Zelensky’s peace plan in general and the conference in Switzerland in particular.

On March 7, Ukrainian President’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak welcomed Beijing’s peace efforts during the “shuttle diplomacy” tour of China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui. “We highly value our cooperative relations with China and hope that today’s talks will be another step towards deepening and strengthening our relations,” Yermak said.

According to Kiev's official press release, during Li Hui's visit, Ukrainian officials also raised the issue of components from "third countries" - not China - found in Russian weapons. However, Kiev knows that there are components of Chinese origin found in Russian weapons.

Some speculate that Ukraine's efforts to avoid confronting China are a way to avoid pushing Beijing closer to Moscow.

“At a minimum, keeping China focused on finding a solution would be far better than the alternative of it providing economic and material support to Russia,” the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote in a commentary.

The Reason Behind President Zelensky's Latest Criticism

Mr Zelensky's comments may be temporary, but it is also possible that Kiev is reassessing its approach to Beijing, according to the Kyiv Post.

One explanation is that President Zelensky is looking to woo Southeast Asian countries, many of which have disputes with China. The Philippines, for example, has a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea.

Additionally, President Zelensky may be aligning Ukraine’s stance with the US’s stance on China — which has stepped up criticism of China’s support for Russia in recent days.

In early May, the US introduced new sanctions against Russia, including a large number of Chinese companies – which displeased Beijing.

It is also possible that President Zelensky has finally accepted the fact that Beijing has never been on Kiev's side, given the growing ties between Beijing and Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin frequently meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, especially during Putin's recent visit to China.

Whether Zelensky’s new statements to China represent a formal shift in Kiev’s approach to Beijing remains to be seen, but the comments underscore the Ukrainian president’s growing frustration, the Kyiv Post noted.