Ukraine peace plan talks end in Saudi Arabia

Image credit: Twitter/AndriyYermak

A peace plan pitched by Ukraine and its allies to more than 40 countries this weekend in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia brought little in the way of concrete steps to stop the crisis.

During the meeting with the National Security Adviser of the Kingdom of ?? Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban, thanked ?? for the support of ?? in time of the armed aggression of the russian federation and for organizing the meeting in Jeddah. pic.twitter.com/huO5VLiOi4

— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) August 6, 2023

Jeddah meet looks at Ukraine peace blueprint

The most tangible outcome from the Jeddah meetings was a plan to form working groups under various points of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s 10-point “peace formula” — on areas including food supply and nuclear security — according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.

While Zelenskiy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak praised the consultations, representatives for China stuck to calls for a cease-fire as a precursor to peace talks — an approach that French delegates said was unacceptable because it would effectively freeze Russia’s gains in place.

“We have had very productive consultations about key principles on which just and strong peace has to be built,” Yermak said in comments posted on the website of the presidential office.

“There were different points of view, but all the attendees declared allegiance to UN principles, international law and respect to sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Important work in Jeddah. The second meeting of NSAs and MFA political directors of the leading states of the world regarding the key principles of restoring a stable and just peace for Ukraine took place. pic.twitter.com/cRyjkZikMH

— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) August 6, 2023

Ukraine is seeking to build international support for its framework for potential peace talks and a lasting deal, prospects that so far seem remote as the crisis nears its 18th month. Kyiv and its backers in the US and Europe hope the meetings will help get their messages across to major global players such as Brazil, South Africa, China and India, countering the narratives from Russia.

Moscow wasn’t invited and denounced the gathering as a “hoax.”