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  6.  » Ukraine – Iovi Snubs Bovi – Huffy Bovi Moos Back

Moon of Alabama – Jan 18, 2024

From hero to zero:

DAVOS, Switzerland — Ukrainian leaders made no secret of wanting to meet with Chinese officials in Switzerland this week but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has headed home without the desired encounter in a blow to Kyiv.

China’s delegation in Switzerland had ample opportunity to sit across from their Ukrainian counterparts, whether in Bern or at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Any meeting would have satisfied a long-standing hope in Kyiv to hold frank, in-person discussions with senior officials from Beijing. Just before a multi-nation peace summit in the Swiss Alps, Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said it was imperative for China to join peace talks and hinted that Zelenskyy would have an opportunity to chat with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

In the end, Ukraine made no headway on getting China to commit to negotiations, and Zelenskyy and Li failed to speak.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed on Wednesday that he had not actually sought to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering in Davos this week. The remarks come amid media reports that China’s top official shot down Zelensky’s request for a meeting at the event.

The Premier is not the person calling the shots in China, Zelensky asserted, suggesting Li was not a high enough official to be worth meeting altogether.

“There is a Chinese Premier – then our prime minister will meet with him. I would love to meet with the leader of China. As far as I know, [in China] Xi Jinping makes decisions, and in Ukraine, I make decisions. I don’t need just any dialogues; I need important decisions from the leaders who make these decisions,” Zelensky stated.

The snub from Zelensky comes amid media reports suggesting the Ukrainian president actually wanted to meet Li at the forum, but the request was shot down by the Chinese side. Thus far, Beijing has not commented on the prospect of any high-profile meetings with the Ukrainian leadership or responded to Zelensky’s remarks.

The shameful (for Zelenski) episode is only a part of the bigger picture:

Cont. reading: Ukraine – Iovi Snubs Bovi – Huffy Bovi Moos Back