Talks between representatives from 40 countries began this Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. They are meeting in response to Ukraine’s attempt to rally those deemed neutral to support their president’s 10-point peace plan to end the war. Russia was not invited while China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and Chile are represented.
While some of these countries, with the notable exception of China, India and South Africa, have backed UN resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, their leaders have largely focused on the need for urgent peace talks and remain silent on the question of the fate of the occupied territories. Meanwhile z Complete withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory remains a priority for Ukraine.
In Jeddah, his proxies are likely to try to persuade other countries that an outcome in which Russia retains control of captured territories in Ukraine would only embolden Russia and other would-be aggressors to continue their militaristic course. Thus, the global instability that “neutral” countries are so wary of would persist.
The attitude of the “neutral” countries could have a major impact on the course of the war in Ukraine. While the sanctions imposed by the G7 countries and the EU are affecting Russia’s ability to finance its invasion, continued cooperation with other countries looking to benefit from this situation offers the opportunity to largely recoup losses. If these countries change their position and support Ukraine, The implications for Russia could be painful, and there is a chance this war will end sooner.
Ukraine is represented in Jeddah by Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s closest ally and head of his office, said Friday Ukraine’s task is to “unite the world around our vision of ending the war.” The peace formula is a single comprehensive plan based on the UN Charter and UN resolutions on key values of international law, he stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his hope that the initiative would lead to a “peace summit” of world leaders in the autumn to endorse the principles of the peace formula.
The deputy head of the Selensky administration, Igor Zhovkvareiterated that there are fewer and fewer alternatives to the formula and suggested that each country could take the lead on one of its key points, such as Ensuring nuclear safety or stopping ecocide in Ukraine.
Talks continue against the background of fighting on the front lines, where Russia is said to have captured the village of Novoselivske to the north, while Ukraine continues to advance to the south and near Bakhmut.
Ukraine also warned all ships that the area around five Russian ports in the north-eastern Black Sea is now considered a “war risk area”. The warning came after a Russian tanker, SIG, was apparently hit in the Kerch Strait in another successful attack by a Ukrainian sea drone. with 450 kg of explosives on board. Ukraine did not issue an official statement, while Russian authorities acknowledged the ship was broken and had to be towed.
The tanker is under US sanctions for supplying kerosene to pro-presidential Russian forces in Syria. Bashar al Assadand are responsible for the destruction of many civilian areas there. After the attack, traffic on the Kerch Bridge was paralyzed for about three hours.
