Pavlo Klimkin (Screenshot from LIGA.net video)

The absence of Asian leaders at the NATO summit is positive for Ukraine, as it could change China's perception of it. For now Beijing opposes Kyiv's integration into the Alliance because it "doesn't like the idea of us being used in the Asia-Pacific region," said Pavlo Klimkin, Minister of Foreign Affairs (2014-2019) and analyst, in a new episode of "Klimkin Explains" on the LIGA.net YouTube channel.

"Note also that several days before the start of the NATO summit, all Asian leaders dropped out. According to my data, as of Friday, the new president of Korea was still planning to go, the Japanese were planning to go plus or minus a week and a half ago," the analyst said.

According to him, in this way, the leaders of these countries "carefully removed the possibility of difficult communication" with US President Donald Trump regarding increasing defense spending.

At the same time, they "removed an irritant for China [regarding] NATO's expansion into Asia," Klimkin noted.

According to the analyst, the absence of Asian leaders at the summit is a "good story" for Ukraine, as China opposes Kyiv's accession to NATO because it "doesn't like us being used in the Asia-Pacific region."

"And this story can also globally affect our perception of [China]," the expert concluded.

You can watch the full conversation by following the link at the beginning of the news or below: