A senior Ukrainian official said on Monday talks about the Ukraine war held in Saudi Arabia dealt a "huge blow" to Russia, while key Kremlin ally China declared it remained impartial in the conflict following its participation in the discussions.
More than 40 countries, including China, India, the United States and European countries, but not Russia, took part in the weekend talks that were seen as an attempt by Kyiv to build a broader coalition of powers to support its vision of peace.
Moscow on Sunday dismissed the talks, aimed at establishing principles for a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine, as a doomed Western attempt to align the Global South behind Kyiv.
But Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak told a briefing in Kyiv that no other peace initiatives were discussed at the weekend meeting in Jeddah apart from Ukraine's, and that all countries present at the talks had fully supported Ukrainian independence and territorial integrity.
He added that the participants agreed to hold another meeting of political advisers within about six weeks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has promoted a set of 10 principles that Kyiv wants to serve as the basis for peace to end the full-scale war launched by Moscow in February 2022.
The principles include the withdrawal of all Russian troops and the return of all Ukraine's territory to its control. Yermak said all the countries present at the talks in Jeddah fully supported Ukrainian independence and territorial integrity.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone conversation China would uphold an independent and impartial position on Ukraine as it strives to find a political settlement to the issue.
Wang's comments to Lavrov were announced in a Foreign Ministry statement on Monday that said China would be an "objective and rational voice" at any international multilateral forums and "actively promote peace talks".
The statement came after the ministry said earlier on Monday the talks had helped "to consolidate international consensus".
China's attendance in Jeddah signals possible shifts in Beijing's approach, but not a U-turn in its support for Moscow, analysts said.
China was represented in Jeddah by its Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs and former ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, who in May toured six European capitals to try to find common ground for an eventual political settlement of the conflict, now in its 18th month.
Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine it launched in February 2022. It has offered its own peace plan, which received a lukewarm response in both Russia and Ukraine, while the United States and NATO were skeptical.
In Berlin, the German government said the Jeddah conference was a successful meeting because it showed the willingness of the international community to work towards ending the war.
© Thomson Reuters 2023.
46 Comments
Blacklabel
You know Ukraine is looking and counting.
40 countries times 1-2 billion dollars per country equals….
Madverts
I know Russia has been getting their invading asses kicked by a tiny country.
More humiliation coming for fascist Russia and her fascist loving cheerleaders.
Even fascist China seems to be desperately looking for a way to extract itself from the Russian abortion in Ukraine. Who could blame them?
Sh1mon M4sada
Amazing, just AMAZING, how the CCP can shaft its 'no limit strategic partner' at the same time as it's ignoring the plight of the Ukrainian people and the African countries that are suffering from food price inflation, in ONE sentence.
Yet, we still have Wall St types telling democratic governments to look to the CCP for how to run a country.
stormcrow
Impartial? China? Laughable!
China’s not to be trusted.
MSweet
If that’s what it takes for Ukraine to defeat the imperialist Russian invasion of their sovereign country I wish him luck! If Russia isn’t stopped now it will just continue. That Putin has plans to eventually take over other countries is a documented fact.
Blacklabel
China was just there to report back to Russia everything that was said.
Eastman
well
it was meeting where some countries spoke about bad bad Russia-but was not brave enough to invite Russians at all.
so its this "outcome" as expected.
UA heroi cant talk any crap and nobody pays attention to that.
shaberi tarantino-did you ever heard about that?
that guy is exactly kind of that.
Eastman
if these countries wants seriously talk abt ending of this conflict-Russia must be invited.
this makes basic common sense.
no science needed.
Rodney
So who paid the plane tickets and hotels and restaurants for Europe’s second most corrupt country, that according to investigators, $40-60 billion is mysterious missing from “aid”?
ukaine will use words like “give me”
JJE
There they go again.
Kyiv regime is plain deluded.
Now the new calculus is if you horribly bungle a counter offensive there are no repercussions.
Fantasyland type stuff.
RichardPearce
Funny how an attempt by WESTERN Ukrainians reacting to the Kiev regime canceling elections by trying to make sure Zelensky would die in his war on eastern Ukrainians got so little attention.
2020hindsights
Yamaneko
to end the full-scale war launched by Moscow in February 2022.
Well, Russia aren't using nukes, but otherwise they are using their full capacity to fight this war. They even pulled troops stationed at its border with China, to fight in Ukraine.
theFu
Good to see all the pro-Russian people here providing excellent suggestions for a real, lasting, peace. Er ... perhaps not. Any peace negotiation that doesn't have Russians leaving Ukraine from before the 2014 invasion, is a non-starter. Ukraine is a separate country and cannot be annexed. Any Ukrainians are free to relocated into Russia, if that's their wish. I know about few who have - high profile people in sports. I didn't understand why, but it was their choice.
Blacklabel
why are people trying to use whats happening in 2023 to try to go back and rewrite history of what happened in 2014?
2014 should have been dealt with in....2014.
It was not, Obama specifically chose to not get involved in it, so its over and done.
JJE
theFuToday 11:25 am JST
Here is a peace plan.
We go with the Kosovo model that was applied to Serbia.
In this case, the Donbass charts its own path independent of Kyiv.
Blacklabel
Obama was president in 2014.
Blacklabel
lets see how many downvotes that obviously factual statement gets.
I expect -10 or so.
2020hindsights
Blacklabel
Incorrect. President Obama issued sanctions on Russia for the annexation of Crimea.
wallace
On March 6, 2014, President Obama signed Executive Order 13660 that authorizes sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, or for stealing the assets of the Ukrainian people. These sanctions put in place restrictions on the travel of certain individuals and officials and showed our continued efforts to impose a cost on Russia and those responsible for the situation in Crimea.
https://2009-2017.state.gov/e/eb/tfs/spi/ukrainerussia/
Blacklabel
which resulted in Crimea being returned to Ukraine? Great!
or which had zero impact at all and Crimea is still "occupied" by Russia? oh...
Blacklabel
some posters are super cute when they claim that "sanctions" change anything and even count as "doing something".
2020hindsights
Blacklabel
It is doing something. What would you suggest?
ClippetyClop
Says the man who never proposes any solution, just complains about the efforts of others.
You complained about Biden not doing enough, then when he did enough you complained about that.
You’re a man who adds nothing.
wallace
Blacklabel
Do you think back in 2014, the US/EU should have gone to war against Russia or should have supplied military aid to Ukraine just as it is now doing?
Blacklabel
Let me guess, those 2014 sanctions just “take time” and haven’t achieved their purpose “yet”.
but any day now their impact will be felt and Crimea will be returned because of those sanctions!
Blacklabel
If it’s important enough to fight a proxy war with Russia about even now, it was definitely more important when it first happened 9 years ago.
2020hindsights
Blacklabel
So, what do you suggest Obama should have done in 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea.
2020hindsights
Blacklabel
Ukraine weren't able to fight Russia in 2014 and they weren't asking for weapons.
Also, this isn't a proxy war.
Jimizo
So those who didn't support Ukraine military lacked backbone?
Interesting.
Moving to the present...
Jimizo
Militarily
Strangerland
So those who didn't support Ukraine military lacked backbone?
Interesting.
Moving to the present...
We MAGA think that sanctions are bad, but more needs to be done than sanctions, but war is bad, so we need to stop supporting Ukraine, but we need to also stop being so pathetic and doing more.
Why can't you libs figure this out? Is this like that time you guys couldn't figure out Trump actually won in 2020?
wallace
Blacklabel
you are on the wrong side of history.
wallace
Another MAGA supporter criticised Obama for lack of military aid but also criticises the military aid Ukraine is now receiving.
Blacklabel
No it’s called timing.
9 years later is too late. it’s fine. Over. Why would Russia just give it back for no reason a decade later?
Ukraine isn’t getting Crimea back when it takes them weeks of a long planned counter offensive to take back even 100 meters a week of their own land.
Blacklabel
timing.
Why couldn’t what is happening now have happened in 2014? Who chose not to and why?
Jimizo
Don’t support Ukraine militarily - spineless.
Support Ukraine - profligate spending and warmongering. Potentially kicking off WW3.
The mind of the partisan is quite something, isn’t it?
But how does that change the following:
Support Ukraine - profligate spending and warmongering. Potentially kicking off WW3.
Mr Kipling
Russia has annexed pretty much all the land it regards as Russian. They have put in defensive positions to secure these areas. Ukraine has failed miserably to put the tiniest dent into these defenses. Where the armies are now is where they are going to end up give or take a few kms in the east. The Ukrainians know this, the Russians know this and the puppet masters in the Pentagon know this. Politically none of them can admit it publicly.
Blacklabel
simple. The world in 2023 is not the world of 2014.
something that was good to do then is bad to do now and vice versa.
can you think of some things acceptable in 2014 that aren’t now? And things acceptable now that were not back then?
Blacklabel
In 2014, no.
Jimizo
What changed in this specific situation?
Olegek
Sorry, it was some sort of peace negotiations?
2020hindsights
Blacklabel
So you think that Ukraine should have fought the Russians in 2014?
I'm confused that you don't think they should fight the Russians now, after all between 2014 and 2022 their army has become enormously more capable.
Olegek
Really funny... The main problem of Ukraine - they can't normally negotiate with Russia.
2020hindsights
Olegek
A senior Ukrainian official said on Monday talks about the Ukraine war held in Saudi Arabia dealt a "huge blow" to Russia
No. It was garnering support from nations that have been sitting on the fence with regard to backing Ukraine.
Blacklabel
Not any more capable than they were in 2014.
Just equipped and funded by the West now. Which could have happened then but didn’t. Why? But man they had soooo many blankets!
my friend borrowed a DVD 9 years ago why would l only ask for it back this year if it was important to me at all. By now he probably thinks it was his all along.