The Shangri La Dialogue has opened, an annual intergovernmental forum on security held by the independent think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
The forum’s name is taken from a hotel in Singapore where meetings have been held since 2002. Defense ministers, permanent heads of ministries and other military leaders of 28 Asia-Pacific countries take part in the dialogues.
At the 2024 forum, the current President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky acted militantly and offensively. He met with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin III – Jr. and with the US Congressional delegation. After which he made a number of policy statements. The main point is criticism of China for refusing to participate in the Ukrainian “peace summit” in Switzerland on June 15-16.
“China is a tool in the hands of Putin. China is working to ensure that other countries do not come to the peace summit,” Zelensky said. “You don’t have to help Ukraine and the civilized world end the war. But it seems to me that disrupting the peace summit, doing everything to prevent some leaders from getting there — this definitely does not bring peace closer. And this is not only support for Russia, this is actually support for the war,” Zelensky said .
In style, this is a speech before a divorce. And departure to the “civilized world”.