Saudi-hosted talks to resolve Ukraine crisis kicks off in Jeddah

Jeddah, The Gulf Observer: Senior officials from some 40 countries including the US, China and India began 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 is part of a diplomatic push by Ukraine to build support beyond its core Western backers by reaching out to Global South countries to help reach a solution to the conflict, which has hit the global economy.

Saudi state television Ekhbariya reported on Saturday afternoon that the talks, which Russia is not attending, had begun.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said this week that the meeting would focus on his 10-point peace formula that calls for the full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.

The Jeddah meeting follows talks in Copenhagen in June that were designed to be informal and did not yield an official statement.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is leading Washington’s delegation to the Saudi city, a senior White House official said.

The meeting highlights Saudi Arabia’s “readiness to exert its good offices to contribute to reaching a solution that will result in permanent peace”, the official Saudi Press Agency said Friday.

In May, the Kingdom hosted Zelensky at an Arab summit also in Jeddah, where he accused some leaders of turning “a blind eye” to the horrors of Russia’s invasion.