With Russian troops making advances,Zelensky has pinned a breakthrough on the event to show that the world is still on Ukraine’s side.
PM Anthony Albanese,who has declined an invitation to attend the peace summit,spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.Bianca De Marchi/60 Minutes
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces have captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine – one in the Donetsk region,and another in the north-eastern Kharkiv region – this week,in the latest in a string of Russian territorial gains.
The conversation between the pair followed Zelensky’s comments on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden’s unlikely attendance at the summit in mid-June would “only be applauded by Putin”.
Biden will attend a G7 summit on June 13-15 in Italy but is expected to skip the Swiss occasion to instead attend a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles alongside George Clooney and Julia Roberts,Bloomberg has reported.
Zelensky said his conversation with the – on Wednesday evening was to express his gratitude for Australia’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine.
An aerial view of a destroyed hardware store in Kharkiv,Ukraine. At the time of the rocket attack,there were 200 people in the hypermarket.Getty
“We also discussed the upcoming Peace Summit and the need to encourage as many nations from around the globe as possible to attend it,” he posted on social media. “I highly appreciate Australia’s willingness to be present at the summit.”
He said he also informed Albanese about Russia’s ongoing efforts to expand the war and “our pressing defence needs to counter the aggressor”.
Earlier this week,Zelensky called on the West to “use all means” to force Russia to peace talks as NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged allies to rethink their restrictions on using donated weapons to strike inside Russia,a key demand of the Ukrainian president.
“We need to work together and put pressure not only on Russia,but also on our partners to give us the opportunity to defend ourselves against Russia,” Zelensky said.
“Even those partners who are afraid to give this or that advice should understand that air defence is defence,not attack.”
The federal government says it supports the meeting,but has not yet committed to sending a high-level delegation. The summit clashes with an expected visit from Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Australia next month,which both Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have prioritised over Ukraine.
The decision comes at a time when the Australian government is already facing criticism from the opposition over its reluctance to send a shipment of coal to help the country through its pending energy crisis,along with its refusal to reopen its Kyiv embassy,despite a similar move from allies.
Although some form of US representation is expected,Biden’s absence would be a huge blow for Ukraine. The summit,which has been planned for months,will be held in the luxury five-star Burgenstock hotel above Lake Lucerne.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv in July,2022.AP
The Swiss government has invited more than 160 countries and said the summit’s goal was “to provide a forum where world leaders discuss paths towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,based on international law and the UN Charter”.
Half the confirmed participants are European,including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. China,whose leader has the ear of Putin,is not expected to send anyone senior,while Brazil and India – which Switzerland was keen to include in the negotiations – will likely only send junior officials.
But obstacles remain in achieving any outcome;namely,the fact that the country that started the war,Russia,won’t be there. Switzerland says Moscow was not invited,while the Kremlin says it would not attend anyway.
Zelensky has urged countries that remained on the sidelines to speak up and choose where to stand.
“If their leaders are silent,that’s even worse,” he told reporters this week. “Because you’re either for peace or for war.”
Albanese’s office could not provide any further details about the phone call or confirm who would represent the government at the summit.
The prime minister later posted on X,formerly known as Twitter:“Good to talk with @ZelenskyyUa tonight to convey our admiration for the courage,resilience and determination of the Ukrainian people to defend their sovereignty and the international rule of law – we will continue our support for the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
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