Closing, International Conference on Ukraine | International | Ukraine
On the 6th local time, the two-day international conference on Ukraine successfully concluded in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. The meeting emphasized the importance of peacefully resolving the Ukrainian issue through international consultation.
Fanwai
The International Conference on Jeddah Ukraine emphasizes the achievement of peace through international consultation
The two-day International Conference on Ukraine concluded on the 6th in Jeddah, a coastal city in western Saudi Arabia. The attending parties emphasized the importance of achieving a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis through international consultation.
According to Saudi media reports, representatives from over 40 countries and international organizations attended the conference both online and offline. During the meeting, participants listened to speeches made by representatives from various parties on the Ukrainian issue and discussed the peaceful solution proposed by Ukraine.
Saudi media reports that Saudi Arabia has been committed to promoting a lasting peace between the two sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and has hosted this international conference to promote international consultation and cooperation, as well as other efforts to achieve a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis.
40+country consultations, "China is seen as key"
On August 5th, the website of The Wall Street Journal published an article titled "With China Attending, Ukraine's Peace Negotiations Make Slight Progress" by Lawrence Norman and Stephen Kalin. The article excerpt is as follows:
On the 5th, senior officials from more than 40 countries, including the United States, China, India, and Ukraine, held consultations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and efforts to reach an international consensus on a lasting, just, and peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian war issue are slowly progressing.
Ukraine and its Western supporters claim that this meeting is aimed at garnering global support for favorable conditions for ending the war in Ukraine. Many major developing countries have remained neutral on this conflict issue.
After the Jeddah Conference, diplomats stated that universal acceptance of core principles of international law such as respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity should become the core of future peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. According to participants or those familiar with the situation of this closed door meeting, a consensus has been reached among all parties to conduct more detailed research on the global impact of the war, and most participating countries, including China, seem willing to hold another meeting in the coming weeks in the current manner.
The Jeddah Conference was held following preliminary consultations held in Copenhagen, Denmark in June this year. US and European officials emphasize that negotiations are not conducted to end conflicts, nor are they seeking specific conditions to reach a solution.
The biggest difference between the Copenhagen Conference and the Jeddah Conference is the number of representatives of the countries attending the conference - the number of countries sending representatives or connecting lines to attend the 5-day conference is more than twice that of the last time, including European countries, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Türkiye and South Africa.
On June 24th, a group photo of participants at the Ukraine Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The most important thing is that China, which was invited to attend the Copenhagen Conference last time but did not send a representative, has sent a delegation to Jeddah this time. Western diplomats stated that Beijing played an overall constructive role in the meeting.
Diplomats say that China is seen as the key to advancing the talks and may provide a way to incorporate some of Moscow's red lines and concerns into the discussion. The top leadership of Saudi Arabia and Ukraine are both vigorously promoting China's attendance at the meeting.
At the meeting, China put forward 12 suggestions to end the war in Ukraine, including "ceasing fire, stopping the war, and starting peace talks". China first released a Chinese stance document on political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis in February this year.
A person familiar with the negotiation situation said, "They received feedback on site, which is a good communication."
The American official said, "It's great to have Chinese people here."
Diplomats also stated that some of the differences that emerged at the Copenhagen conference seem to have narrowed. In the last meeting, Ukraine urged major developing countries to accept the peace plan proposed by Ukrainian President Zelensky, which requires that peace can only begin after the complete withdrawal of Russian troops. However, several developing countries have expressed that they will not accept such a plan.
At the Jeddah Conference, Ukraine and major developing countries seemed more eager to seek consensus. A senior European official said that Ukraine has not once again pushed for its peace plan to be accepted, and other countries have not insisted on Kiev abandoning its plan. There was no heated debate at the meeting over Ukraine's demand for Russia to withdraw its troops. Two diplomats said that Ukraine did not demand this and therefore did not face questioning from developing countries.
Although the date of the third international conference on Ukraine has not yet been determined, all parties have reached a consensus on "dual track progress". Ukraine will continue to hold consultations with foreign embassies in Kiev on peace conditions.
