42 countries are negotiating in Jeddah
Peace summit brings only faint hope
08/06/2023 12:06 p.m
Little is made public about the negotiations in Saudi Arabia on a peace settlement for Ukraine. According to diplomats, there is agreement on central points, but so far there is no sign of hope that the war will end anytime soon. At least China seems to be getting involved.
At the weekend in Saudi Arabian Jeddah, representatives from more than 40 countries discussed ways to end the Ukraine war. The meeting organized by Kyiv without the participation of Russia ended on Saturday evening after several hours of deliberations and talks behind closed doors. According to media reports, the talks should continue during the day. European diplomatic circles reported that there was agreement on the central points of a peace solution. According to the will of the participants, Ukraine’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty” should be “at the heart of any peace agreement”.
The more than 40 participating countries include Western countries such as the USA and Germany, but also emerging countries such as China, India and South Africa as well as developing countries. From European diplomatic circles it was said that China had “actively” participated and made “positive” statements about a possible further meeting of this type.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was cautiously optimistic after the deliberations. “Every millimeter of progress towards a just and fair peace brings a piece of hope for the people of Ukraine,” said Baerbock of the “Bild am Sonntag”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “showed a very decisive path for this with his peace formula”. This calls for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
The French speak of a long-term process
In his video message that evening, Zelenskyy said that 42 countries were represented in Jeddah and that the Ukrainian delegation was pushing ahead with its “ten-point peace formula,” which calls for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. In the past, Russia had stated that the “new territorial realities” had to be taken into account in negotiations.
French diplomatic circles said after the meeting that there were “consistent efforts to create the conditions for a legitimate negotiation”. However, these conditions were “clearly not” created by the meeting. This is “a long-term process”.
Brazil wants to bring Russia to the table
The head of the Brazilian delegation, Celso Amorim, said in a statement that “genuine negotiations must include all parties,” including Russia. “Even if Ukraine is the biggest victim, if we really want peace, we must involve Moscow in some way in this process,” Amorim’s speech said.
Ukraine had previously expressed the expectation that the talks would be “not easy”. But “the truth is on our side,” Andriy Yermak, chief of staff at Ukraine’s presidential office, said in an interview published on Friday. Yermak led the Ukrainian delegation in the Saudi Arabian coastal city on the Red Sea. “We have many disagreements and we have heard many positions, but it is important that we share our principles,” he explained. “Our task is to unite the whole world around Ukraine.”
The meeting took place at the level of national security advisers. Jens Plötner, Foreign Policy Advisor to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Tjorven Bellmann, Political Director at the Federal Foreign Office, represented the Federal Government. The US delegation was led by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
China promises cooperation
China, which says it wants to remain a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, sent its special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, to Jeddah. “China stands ready to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the Ukraine crisis,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in advance.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, which works closely with Russia on oil policy, has reaffirmed its ties with the two sides and positioned itself as a possible mediator in the Ukraine war. Pro-government expert Ali Shihabi said the meeting showed the success of Saudi Arabia’s “multipolar strategy”. The Jeddah meeting followed talks in Copenhagen in June, which were informal and also resulted in no official statement.