President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the 2024 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Sidelines

In a meeting at the sidelines of the forum, held every year as a platform for national and business leaders to meet and present ideas, the two presidents met in person for the first time and shared a warm handshake.

Zelensky posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and spoke about his gratitude to Singapore for its humanitarian assistance, as well as its support for sanctions and United Nations resolutions.

First meeting with Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

I am grateful to Singapore for its humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, as well as its support for sanctions and UN resolutions.

I invited Singapore to join the Peace Formula and the Global Peace Summit… pic.twitter.com/Q2BueizCjb

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 16, 2024

Ukraine has been at war for nearly two years now, after Russia invaded its eastern European neighbour in February 2022.

Fighting in the country has largely reached a stalemate, with Ukraine managing to stop and even push back the Russian advancement, but is still far from securing its own borders.

Singapore has provided several different types of humanitarian assistance, the most recent of which was a donation of 22 ambulances in September 2023.

Singapore has also notably sanctioned certain Russian financial institutions in response to the start of hostilities in 2022.

The two presidents also discuss prospective areas of cooperation, such as cybersecurity and agriculture.

Zelensky said he emphasised Ukraine's successful defence of a free navigation in the Black Sea, which allowed Ukraine to remain a global food security guarantor.

Singapore directly imported eggs from Ukraine, part of an initiative to diversify egg supply in the country, although some were recalled in August 2023 due to salmonella bacteria.

Ukraine is also a major exporter of grain and wheat, and the ongoing hostilities in the region has been cited as a cause of food related inflation globally.

Peace formula

Zelensky invited Singapore to participate in its Peace Formula, and the global peace summit preparations.

Part of Zelensky's and Ukraine's attendance at Davos in 2024 is to promote Ukraine's 10-point Peace Formula, a plan to end the war in Ukraine.

The Peace Formula was introduced in 2023, and the Associated Press reported Ukrainian officials as saying that a growing number of countries, about 60 from Europe and around the world, were actively participating in security conferences on the Peace Formula.

The Peace Formula calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, as well as the release of all prisoners, and the establishment of a special tribunal to address war crimes.

Addressing the forum

Zelensky was one of several international leaders who addressed the forum, including China’s premier Li Qiang.

According to The Guardian, Zelensky received a standing ovation for his speech where he continued his call for more assistance for Ukraine to help defeat Russia.

His call was echoed by the president of the European Union, Ursula von Der Leyen, who called for predictable financing and sustained supply of weaponry throughout 2024 and beyond.

She also supported the idea of EU membership for Ukraine.

Singaporean leaders at Davos

Tharman is in Davos and participating in three panels, including the closing session on Jan. 19.

Also participating are two Singaporean ministers, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, and Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo.

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Top image via Volodymyr Zelenskyy/ Володимир Зеленський/X