Saudi Arabia will hold peace talks on Ukraine without the participation of Russia.
As The Wall Street Journal writes with reference to sources, talks are scheduled for August 5-6 in the city of Jeddah between the West, Ukraine and key developing countries.
The participants include 30 countries: officials from Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Zambia and other countries will arrive. Britain, South Africa, Poland and the EU have confirmed their participation, WSJ writes.
According to the interlocutors of the newspaper, the meeting is necessary so that the West can secure the support of major countries, many of which maintain neutrality regarding Russiaʼs war against Ukraine. In particular, this meeting should convince China to join efforts to end the war.
It is believed that the joint efforts could lead to a peace summit later this year, where the leaders will agree on general principles for resolving the conflict. These principles, according to the sources, should help conduct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in favor of Kyiv.
The newspaper writes that in June, at a closed meeting in Copenhagen, representatives of Ukraine tried to convince countries to support President Volodymyr Zelenskyiʼs 10-point peace plan. In particular, it provides that any negotiations with the Russian Federation can begin only after the return of all occupied lands. Most countries are ready to discuss general principles, but cannot support Zelenskyiʼs plan, the journalists note.