Kyiv: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the President of Ukraine, issued a pointed statement on Tuesday, asserting that if U.S. President Joe Biden were to miss a peace summit organized by Kyiv in Switzerland next month, Russian President Vladimir Putin would undoubtedly welcome and applaud his absence.
Kyiv aims to convene as many nations as possible for this summit, seeking to garner unified support on strategies to halt the ongoing war and increase pressure on Russia, which has annexed nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory. While Washington has indicated its support, it has yet to confirm Biden’s attendance.
During a joint press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Brussels on Tuesday, Zelenskiy remarked, “I know that the U.S. supports the summit but we don’t know at what level.” He emphasized the importance of Biden’s presence, stating, “(The) peace summit needs President Biden and so do the other leaders who look at the reaction of the United States. Putin will only applaud his absence, personally applaud it – and standing, at that.”
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In a bold move on Sunday, Zelenskiy called upon both Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a key ally of Putin and a prominent beneficiary of Russia’s discord with the West, to participate in the summit. Russia, which initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has expressed skepticism about the conference’s relevance.
