Riyadh: According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, Saudi Arabia is planning to host talks in August on the topic of Ukraine. The kingdom has invited Western states, Ukraine, and major developing countries like India and Brazil to the meeting. Both Saudi Arabia and Ukraine have did not acknowledge the planned talks immediately.
The conference aims to bring together senior officials from approximately 30 countries, including Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico, Chile, and Zambia, to convene in Jeddah on August 5th and 6th. Diplomats involved in the discussion have revealed this information.
Ukraine and Western officials hope that these talks, excluding Russia, can garner international support for peace terms that favour Ukraine. The Kremlin, which claims to have annexed a portion of Ukraine’s territory, has indicated its willingness to engage in peace talks with Ukraine only if Kyiv accepts what it calls “new realities” concerning its territorial claims. However, Kyiv has stated that negotiations with Russia can only take place after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
The report does not yet confirm how many of the invited countries will attend the summit. However, countries that participated in a similar round of talks in Copenhagen in June are expected to attend this meeting as well. Countries such as Britain, South Africa, Poland, and the EU have already confirmed their attendance. Additionally, it is anticipated that U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will also participate.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to host these talks comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended an Arab League summit in Jeddah in May to seek support from Arab nations for Kyiv. Arab nations have mostly maintained a neutral stance since Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine in February 2022, partially due to their military and economic ties with Moscow.
Apart from the Ukraine issue, hosting these talks could help raise the profile of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He has been striving to reach a détente with Iran and pursue peace in Yemen amid the kingdom’s long-standing conflict. However, Riyadh’s relations with the West remain strained following the 2018 killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, an incident that U.S. intelligence agencies attribute to orders from Prince Mohammed.
Comments