Saudi Arabia plans to hold peace talks on Ukraine with the participation of Western countries in early August. At the same time, Russia is not on the list of invitees.
The dates of the planned international conference have not yet been determined. The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported that the meeting in Jeddah could take place on August 5-6.
TASS gathered the main information about the preparation for the negotiations.
Background of the meeting in Jeddah
On June 26, ARD TV channel reported that an international meeting on Ukraine was held in Copenhagen on June 24 "under conditions of the strictest secrecy" with the participation of diplomats from Western countries, as well as representatives of Brazil, India, China and South Africa.
On July 20, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Ermak, said that Ukraine is preparing a new meeting of national security advisers and political directors with the participation of representatives of the Group of Seven countries and the Global South.
On July 29, The Wall Street Journal newspaper, citing sources, reported that the event, to which high-ranking officials from 30 countries will arrive to discuss Ukraine, will be held in Jeddah on August 5-6.
Participants of the meeting
Advisor to the Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhen Mikitenko said that representatives of different levels will arrive to participate in the negotiations, depending on the country.
The official representative of the President of South Africa Vincent Magwenya confirmed the participation of the Republic of South Africa. He stressed that we are not talking about the delegation of South Africa, but about the representative. Also, according to him, representatives of the G7 countries, the European Union, India, Brazil, Turkey will arrive in Jeddah.
Earlier, the Czech Republic confirmed its participation in the negotiations, explaining that the issue of who will represent the republic at the meeting is being resolved.
The Brazilian Government also announced its intention to send a representative to Jeddah.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that Beijing would officially confirm its participation in the coming days. However, according to information available in South Africa, an invitation was sent to China, but it refrained from participating.
The position of the Russian Federation
Moscow will monitor the planned peace meeting on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, but it has yet to be understood, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov reported.
Russia has repeatedly noted that "any attempts to somehow contribute to a peaceful settlement are worthy of a positive assessment." At the same time, Peskov drew attention to the lack of prerequisites for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine at the moment.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that a meeting on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia would be useful if it helped the West understand the impasse of the so-called peace plan of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
International reaction
The Iranian authorities gave a positive assessment of the upcoming negotiations on Ukraine in Jeddah. The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, Nasser Kanani Chafi, noted that Iran welcomes any initiatives aimed at a political settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.
According to the representative of the administration of the President of Brazil, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, Brasilia told the organizers that the Chinese side should take part in the meeting, as well as that the presence of representatives of the Russian Federation is necessary at any negotiations. He added that "it is impossible to negotiate with oneself, therefore, it is necessary to involve the Russian side in the negotiation process."
