Saudi Arabia to host Ukraine peace talks in August: Report
Saudi Arabia is reportedly set to host peace talks in August over the Ukraine crisis and invite Kyiv, numerous Western states, and major developing nations like India and Brazil. According to the news outlet The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), sources revealed that the meeting would likely bring top leaders from around 30 nations to Jeddah on Saturday and Sunday (August 5-6) next week.
Why does this story matter?
The meeting comes as the Kremlin and the West battle over the support of developing nations, which have largely stayed neutral throughout the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. While Russia won't be attending the summit in Saudi, the chances of China's presence are also very low. Notably, earlier this year, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Kyiv and announced $400 million in humanitarian aid.
Know about some nations set to attend summit
As per the WSJ report, the invitees picked by Ukraine and Saudi Arabia for the summit include the likes of India, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Indonesia, Chile, and Zambia. On the other hand, some invitees like the United Kingdom (UK), Poland, South Africa, and the European Union (EU) have already confirmed their decision to attend the summit next month in Jeddah.
Recent ties between Saudi and Ukraine
Meanwhile, the peace talks hosted by Saudi Arabia come months after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in an Arab League summit in May in Jeddah to press Arab countries to back war-hit Kyiv. These countries have mostly remained neutral since Russia launched its armed invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, in part due to their economic and military ties to the Kremlin.
Putin says Russia does not reject peace talks
Furthermore, this development comes right after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Saturday that he had not ruled out the idea of peace talks over the Ukraine issue. Putin's remarks came after he chaired a meeting with leaders from Africa in Saint Petersburg and heard their requests for the Kremlin to move forward with their plan for peace in Ukraine.
Ukraine is on strategic offensive: Putin
However, after meeting African leaders, Putin stated, "There are things that are virtually impossible to implement, like a ceasefire—but Ukraine is advancing; they're on a strategic offensive." "This can only be a bilateral initiative. But the (African) initiative, in my opinion, can become the foundation of certain processes toward a peaceful resolution...there's no competition or contradiction here," Al Jazeera quoted Russia's president as saying.
