ALBAWABA - Following the visit of U.S. National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan's visit to Saudi Arabia, news has surfaced of Riyadh's intention to host a Ukrainian-organized peace summit in August. However, no official confirmation regarding the matter has yet been released.
The summit is expected to be held in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, with Ukraine, as well as Brazil, India, and South Africa taking part, in addition to several other countries. A high-level official from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration also is expected to attend.
However, details of the event are still being worked out. The Wall Street Journal, which broke the news first, said that the summit would take place on August 5 and 6, with 30 countries expected to attend, citing "diplomats involved in the discussion".
Washington and Europe are hoping the talks, which exclude Russia, can lead to international backing for peace terms favoring Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The summit is being held in Saudi Arabia after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an appearance at the Arab League summit in Jeddah in May. Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is well known to be a friend of the Russian leader Vladimir Putin and one of the top supporters of the Russian war in Ukraine, also made an appearance at the Arab League summit, being under the same roof with Zelenskyy.
The presence of Assad and Zelenskyy at the Arab League summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah has triggered many questions about whether there will be any possible confrontation between the two leaders regarding the war in Kyiv.
However, Arab countries have mainly remained neutral since Russia initiated its war on Ukraine in February 2022, owing to their military and economic links with Moscow.
As part of the OPEC+ group, Saudi Arabia has also maintained tight ties with Russia. Despite Moscow's assault on Ukraine, the organization's oil production cuts have enraged Biden and American politicians.
