‘Bad for world’: Zelensky chides China for ‘supporting’ Russia’s war machinery in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday (June 2) chided China for 'supporting' Russia, which he says will expand the ongoing war. Zelensky was speaking at a meeting of defence chiefs from across the Asia-Pacific, including China and the US, in Singapore. The gathering came ahead of the June 15-16 Ukraine peace summit slated to be held in Switzerland.

“With China’s support to Russia the war will last longer. That is bad for the whole world, and the policy of China – who declares that it supports territorial integrity and sovereignty and declares it officially. For them it is not good,” Zelensky said while talking to the media.

Officially, China claims to have taken a neutral stance in the Russia-Ukraine war; however, its tacit military and economic support to Moscow is an open secret.

Watch: Russia slams US for allowing Ukraine to use weapons

The US has previously accused China of supplying Russia with dual-use goods that empower its defence industrial base, a claim that Beijing vehemently disputes.

'Russia trying to thwart Ukraine peace summit'

Zelensky also took the opportunity to criticise Russia for allegedly trying to thwart the Ukraine peace summit.

“Russia is trying to disrupt the peace summit and that is true … (Russia) is now traveling around many countries in the world threatening them with the blockade of the agricultural goods, of the food products, of chemical products … it is simply pushing the other countries of the world so that they’re not present on the summit,” Zelensky said.

Trump risks being a 'loser president'

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Guardian in Kyiv, Zelensky warned that Donald Trump risked being a “loser president” if he wins November’s election and imposes a bad peace deal on Ukraine.

Many fear that Trump, who has claimed to end the war in "24 hours", will drastically cut aid to Ukraine, making it more vulnerable to Russia's offensive.

“Ukraine, barehanded, without weapons, will not be able to fight a multimillion [Russian] army,” Zelensky was quoted as saying.

(With inputs from agencies)