Doval in Jeddah as peace talks on Ukraine begin
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, August 5
The Saudi Arabia-hosted talks on the conflict in Ukraine started on Saturday in Jeddah with many countries, including India, being represented by their National Security Advisers.
“Hosting this meeting marks a continuation of humanitarian initiatives and efforts exerted by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and his communication with Russian and Ukrainian leadership since the early days of the crises, expressing the Kingdom’s readiness to use its good offices to contribute to reaching a solution,” said the only official word on the meeting by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has billed the conclave as “meeting for NSAs of various brotherly and friendly countries on the Ukraine crisis”.
Kyiv’s increasing engagement with India
- Oct 2022: PM Modi holds telephonic conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Dec: NSA Ajit Doval & Zelenskyy’s key aide Andriy Yermak speak over phone
- Dec: Ukrainian President talks to PM Modi over phone
- April 2023: Foreign Affairs deputy minister holds talks in Delhi
- May: PM meets Zelenskyy on sidelines of G7 Summit in Japan
- July: MEA Secretary visits Kyiv for foreign office consultations
Senior officials from about 40 countries, including the US, China, India, Brazil and South Africa, were trying to carve a path towards an agreement on key principles for a peaceful end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukraine President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy wants the talks to lead to a peace summit of global leaders which he has hinted might take place in autumn. The only major multilateral meeting around that time will be the G20 summit in India.
NSA Ajit Doval had arrived in Jeddah for the talks, said the Indian embassy in Riyadh. Analysts see this meeting as the second diplomatic push by the West to build support beyond the core backers by involving global south countries. The first meeting was held on June 24 in Copenhagen which was not attended by China.
The West’s pointsman for the talks and head of Zelenskyy’s office Andriy Yermak said the talks would be difficult. Russia is not attending the talks but the Saudi statement has suggested that it is in the loop and not pointedly excluded as was being made out earlier.
