Ukraine peace negotiations will be held in Saudi Arabia, a senior official said
According to a top official in Kyiv, Saudi Arabia is getting ready to hold a meeting to talk about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal for peace in his nation amid the continuing Russian invasion.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said on Sunday that representatives from a number of nations will attend the Saudi Arabian summit, but he did not specify when or where the gathering would take place.
The meeting will take place on August 5 and 6, in the city of Jeddah, according to The Wall Street Journal, which broke the news of it in the first place citing “diplomats involved in the discussion”.
According to the Journal, Ukrainian and Western officials are hoping that their efforts will lead to a peace conference later this year when world leaders would commit to a set of common principles for ending the conflict.
The Ukrainian Peace Formula, which “contains 10 fundamental points, the implementation of which will not only ensure peace for Ukraine but also create mechanisms to counter future conflicts in the world,” will be the subject of debates, according to Yermak’s Telegram post.
The restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian forces, the release of all detainees, the establishment of a court to try those guilty for the invasion, and security assurances for Ukraine are all part of the 10-point peace formula, according to previous statements made by Ukraine.
Because the conflict is occurring on our territory, “we are firmly convinced that the Ukrainian peace plan should be used as a starting point,” Yermak added.
The 10 issues were “discussed individually and in groups with representatives of more than 50 countries on an almost weekly basis,” according to his statement.
He continued by saying that the conference in Saudi Arabia comes after a summit of top officials that took place in the Danish city of Copenhagen in late June. Brazil, India, Turkey, and South Africa were among the nations present during the first gathering.
According to the Journal, among the 30 invited parties for the Jeddah summit are Chile, Egypt, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Zambia.
According to the news agency Associated Press, Russia was not invited. A senior official from US President Joe Biden’s administration is also anticipated to attend, according to the AP, which cited an anonymous source.
Saudi Arabia had no quick comments.
The meeting there is scheduled to come after Zelenskyy’s trip to the Arab League summit in Jeddah in May, when he urged those countries to support Kyiv.
Due in great part to their close military and economic links to Moscow, Arab countries have mostly maintained their neutrality ever since Russia declared a full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022.
As a member of OPEC+, Saudi Arabia has also preserved a tight connection with Russia. Hosting such discussions, however, enhances the reputation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has worked to improve relations with Iran and advance efforts to end the country’s protracted conflict in Yemen.
The discussions take place as Ukraine works to strengthen its security position.
