RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is to host a meeting for national security advisers and representatives of a number of countries on the Ukrainian crisis in Jeddah on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
Hosting the meeting marks a continuation of the humanitarian initiatives and efforts by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the communications between the crown prince and Russian and Ukrainian leaders since the early days of the crisis.
The meeting also reveals the Kingdom’s readiness to exert its efforts to contribute to reaching a solution that will result in permanent peace, and its support for all efforts and initiatives aimed at reducing the impacts of the crisis and its humanitarian repercussions.
The Saudi government hopes that the meeting will contribute to reinforcing dialogue and cooperation by exchanging views, coordination, and deliberations at the international level on the ways to ensure a solution for the crisis through political and diplomatic means, and in a way that strengthens international peace and security, sparing the world further humanitarian, security, and economic consequences.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was grateful to the Kingdom for the platform for negotiations.
He said in a statement posted on X: “Tomorrow in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, a meeting of advisers to heads of state and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Peace Formula will begin.
“Many countries will be represented, different continents, including the countries of the Global South.
“It is very important because in such matters as food security, the fate of millions of people in Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world directly depends on how fast the world will be in implementing the Peace Formula.”
He said the meeting in Jeddah followed a similar event in Copenhagen in June, and will help enable “step by step” movement toward the Global Peace Summit.
Zelensky said: “A fair and honest end to Russian aggression will benefit everyone in the world. Eliminating all threats created by Russia to Ukrainian and global security means returning peace to international relations and stability to global life.”