Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at a security forum in Singapore where he is trying to rally support for Kiev.
Zelensky stepped out of a white Audi sedan outside the luxury hotel where the Shangri-La Dialogue is being held.
After shaking hands with organizers of the three-day event, Zelensky was cheered on by onlookers.
According to event organizers at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Zelensky will speak at the security forum at 11:30 a.m. on June 2.
The Ukrainian leader said in X that he would also hold "a number of meetings, in particular with Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Singaporean investors."
In recent days, Zelensky has been touring European countries to appeal for more military aid for the Ukrainian army, which has been retreating under relentless Russian attacks.
His stop in Singapore was announced shortly before his arrival at the hotel. It followed the US decision to partially lift restrictions on the use of US-provided weapons to strike Russian territory, which Zelensky hailed as a "step forward".
US President Joe Biden has come under increasing pressure from a desperate Ukraine to ease the restrictions but has resisted doing so for fear it could draw NATO into direct conflict or even a nuclear confrontation with Moscow.
Germany announced on 31 May that it had also given Ukraine permission to shell targets in Russia with weapons supplied by Germany.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that there would be "serious consequences" if Western countries gave Ukraine permission. | BGNES
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