The two-day meeting is part of Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts to expand support beyond Western backers and reach out to Gulf states that have been reluctant to side with Ukraine.
It is not clear whether the talks aim to come up with a joint statement.
Russia does not participate in the negotiations. It is true, however, that the Kremlin has indicated that the talks will be followed up.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he hopes the talks will lead to a peace summit of world leaders endorsing his conflict resolution plan, which calls for Russia to hand over all seized territory and withdraw all its troops.
Saudi Arabia has made efforts to convince countries that have not participated in previous meetings to participate in the talks, according to Western diplomats.
China, which did not participate in the previous round of negotiations in Copenhagen, has sent Li Hui, the special envoy for Eurasian affairs, to the talks in Saudi Arabia, Beijing announced on Saturday.
India’s National Security Adviser Shri Ajit Doval has also arrived in Jeddah for talks, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh announced on social networks on Saturday.
Like China, India continues to maintain close ties with Russia and has not condemned Moscow for the war.
2023-08-05 12:19:00
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