China envoy to attend Jeddah peace talks over Ukraine
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According to China's Foreign Ministry, Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui will visit Jeddah for the meetings.
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China's Ukraine envoy Li Hui speaks to the media in Beijing, Friday, June 2, 2023 (AP)
China indicated on Friday that it will send a senior official to Saudi Arabia for weekend discussions on finding a peaceful solution to Ukraine's crisis.
Saudi Arabia is set to hold peace negotiations between Western nations, Ukraine, and important emerging countries, such as India and Brazil, as Europe and Washington work to ramp up international support for Ukraine's peace demands, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Almost 40 countries are set to be represented at upcoming talks in Jeddah on August 5 and 6, with the Ukrainian President actively seeking broad international support to endorse principles allegedly aimed at ending the war that started 18 months ago, without Russia's presence.
Read more: Peace talks will hinge on proposal considerate of Moscow's interests
According to China's Foreign Ministry, Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui will visit Jeddah for the meetings.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at the Chinese Ministry, stated that "China is willing to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine."
China previously did not attend similar talks in Copenhagen in late June. China has recently kept close ties with Moscow, despite mounting US and Western pressure to condemn Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his hope on Wednesday for a "peace summit" to be convened this autumn, following last week's talks in Saudi Arabia, which he considered a stepping stone to this end.
Addressing Ukrainian diplomats in a speech, Zelensky claimed that his team is keen on collaborating with allies in building an international consensus for the proposed "peace summit".
The goal is to establish a comprehensive settlement that fits Ukraine's demands only, as per Zelensky's vision of peace. Other key points include ensuring food and energy security, nuclear safety, and the release of all prisoners related to the conflict, as per his claims.
Russia has earlier this week expressed it would monitor the summit in Jeddah. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated Monday that "we need to understand what goals are set and what will be discussed. Any attempt to promote a peaceful settlement deserves a positive evaluation."
According to the Saudi agency SPA, the talks are a "continuation" of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's communications "with the Russian and Ukrainian leaderships since the early days of the crisis."
Saudi Arabia is attempting to play a stronger role in Ukraine diplomacy after it was accused by Washington of siding with Russia in maintaining high oil prices.
According to Western officials, Saudi Arabia was chosen to host the second round of negotiations in part to persuade China, which has maintained tight ties with Moscow, to attend. China recently brokered the deal to restore relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March.
According to a source familiar with the plans, Jake Sullivan is likely to attend.
