Saudi talks explore pathways to peace in Ukraine
Riyadh flexes its diplomatic muscle; Kyiv to seek support of countries reluctant to condemn war
DUBAI—Senior officials from some 30 countries including the United States, China and India join talks in Saudi Arabia on Saturday that Kyiv and its allies hope will lead to agreement on key principles for a peaceful end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The two-day meeting hosted by Riyadh is the Kingdom’s latest flexing of its diplomatic muscle and is part of a big push by Ukraine to build support from Global South countries that have been reluctant to take sides in a conflict that has hit the global economy.
The meeting of national security advisers and other officials in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah underscores Riyadh’s “readiness to exert its good offices to contribute to reaching a solution that will result in permanent peace,” the official Saudi Press
Agency (SPA) said Friday.
Invitations were sent to the different states, Russia not among them, according to diplomats familiar with the preparations.
The SPA report said only that “a number of countries” would attend.
It follows Ukraine-organized talks in Copenhagen in June that were designed to be informal and did not yield an official statement.
Path towards peace
Instead, diplomats said the sessions were intended to engage a range of countries in debates about a path towards peace, notably members of the BRICS bloc with Russia that have adopted a more neutral stance on the war in contrast to Western powers.
Speaking on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the wide range of countries represented in the talks, including developing countries which have been hit hard by the surge in food prices triggered by the war.
“This is very important, because on issues such as food security, the fate of millions of people in Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world directly depends on how fast the world moves to implement the peace formula,” he said.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter which works closely with Russia on oil policy, has touted its ties to both sides and positioned itself as a possible mediator in the war, now nearly a year and a half old.
The Kremlin has said it will keep an eye on the talks.
Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at present, with the war raging.
Zelenskyy has said he hopes the talks will lead to a peace summit of global leaders to endorse principles in his plan for a settlement, which demands Russia’s return of all Ukrainian territory and withdrawal of all its troops.
China, India principles
China, which did not attend a previous round of talks in Copenhagen, is sending special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui, Beijing said on Saturday. China has kept close economic and diplomatic ties with Russia since the conflict began and has rejected calls to condemn Moscow.
“We have many disagreements and we have heard different positions, but it is important that our principles are shared,” he said.
Indian National Security adviser Shri Ajit Doval has also arrived in Jeddah for the talks, the Indian embassy in Riyadh said on social media on Saturday.
Like China, India has kept close ties with Russia and refused to condemn it for the war. It has ramped up imports of Russian oil.
Western officials and analysts said Saudi diplomacy had been important in securing China’s presence at the talks.
Under de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MbS, the kingdom has sought a bigger role on the world stage and has pushed to expand ties with major powers outside the old framework of its relationship with the United States.