Iran supports Saudi peace initiative on Ukraine

Tehran says it welcomes all efforts to find a political solution to the conflict

Iran supports any attempt to find a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict, Iranian foreign ministry representative Nasser Kanani Chafi said on Monday. He added that that included upcoming peace talks in Saudi Arabia which do not involve Russia.

Moscow, meanwhile, has stated that it will closely monitor the negotiations set to take place in Jeddah early next month. “It remains to be seen what goals they set and what the organizers plan to talk about,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, explaining that any attempts to contribute to a peaceful settlement “are worthy of a positive assessment.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia plans to host international peace talks on Ukraine on August 5 and 6 and is said to have already invited some 30 countries to take part in the event. The negotiations will reportedly involve the US, which will be represented by US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the EU, and countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the outlet claims. Notably, Russia has not been invited to the talks.

The WSJ describes the event as a follow up to a similar meeting that took place in Copenhagen in late June, where Kiev and its Western backers attempted to persuade developing countries that have so far chosen to remain neutral to throw their support behind Ukraine. 

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The discussions are expected to revolve around a proposal by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky consisting of 10 points that Kiev expects will ensure peace and create mechanisms to prevent future conflicts.

Those points include having Russia withdraw its forces to borders claimed by Ukraine, pay reparations, and submit itself to war crimes tribunals. Moscow has repeatedly rejected those terms as unrealistic and suggested that Zelensky’s plan signifies that Kiev does not wish to engage in meaningful dialogue. 

President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has stressed that Russia remains open to finding a diplomatic solution, while noting that Ukraine, the US, and NATO have all actively refused to talk to Moscow.