Ukraine: China to attend Saudi meet on Ukraine that excludes Russia

China said on Friday it would send a senior official to Saudi Arabia for weekend talks on finding a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine, a forum that excludes Russia, in a diplomatic coup for Kyiv, the West and the Saudi hosts. Ukrainian and Western diplomats hope the meeting in Jeddah of national security advisers and other senior officials from some 40 countries will agree on key principles for a future peace settlement to end Russia‘s war in Ukraine.

Chinese special envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui will visit Jeddah for the talks, China’s foreign ministry said on Friday. “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,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at the Chinese ministry, said.China was invited to a previous round of talks in Copenhagen in late June but did not attend. Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February last year, China has kept close economic and diplomatic ties with Russia and rejected international calls to condemn Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped the initiative will lead to a “peace summit” to endorse the principles, based on his own 10-point formula that includes respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the withdrawal of Russian troops.