30 nations talks on Ukraine to be held in Saudi Arabia

The second meeting to end the war in Ukraine will take place in Saudi Arabia on 5-6 August, with representatives from 30 nations invited to attend.

According to the diplomats involved in the discussion, high-ranking officials from 30 countries will arrive in Jeddah on 5 and 6 August. Russia has not been invited to the meeting.

The discussion aims at finding ways to end the war in Ukraine waged by Russia since it started a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The importance of meeting in Jeddah

Ukrainian and Western officials hope these efforts can culminate in a peace summit later this year, at which world leaders will sign common principles to end the war. 

The newspaper said they hope these principles can shape future peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Kyiv’s favour.

The meeting in Saudi Arabia follows a high-level meeting in Copenhagen in late June, attended by representatives of Brazil, India, South Africa, Turkey, and Turkey, among others. 

Talks’ goal

Saudi Arabia and Ukraine have invited 30 countries to the new meeting in Jeddah, including Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico, Chile, and Zambia. How many of them will attend is still being determined, although it is expected that the countries participating in the Copenhagen talks will do so again.

Among those who have confirmed their participation are the UK, South Africa, Poland, and the EU. 

Western diplomats say that Saudi Arabia was chosen to host the second round of talks partly in the hope of persuading China, which maintains close ties with Moscow, to participate. According to people involved in the negotiations, Beijing does not plan to attend the meeting but has not ruled out the possibility.

Copenhagen meeting and Ukraine’s peace plan

According to participants in the Copenhagen meeting, there was a wide view gap between Ukraine and most developing countries. 

Ukrainian officials pushed participants to support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s existing 10-point peace plan, which calls for the return of all Russia-occupied territories and demands that Russian troops leave Ukraine before peace talks begin.

A group of developing countries has clarified that they are open to discussing common principles but will not sign on to Ukraine’s plan.

A senior European diplomat said that Ukraine still insists on international support in issues not accepted by developing countries, such as the expansion of sanctions against Moscow.