not all countries understand why Russia should leave Ukraine

During the international meeting on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, in Jeddah, on August 5-6, one of the most difficult moments was that not all countries understood why Russia should leave Ukrainian territory to end the war. The adviser of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak told the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty about this.

According to him, some countries continue to believe that there are territorial disputes between Russia and Ukraine. “Not all countries understand the nature of the Russian-Ukrainian war,” Podolyak noted, adding that “negotiations without Russia losing discredit international law.”

“Some countries do not deeply understand this conflict, moreover, some continue to consider Russia capable of conducting large-scale military campaigns. It is difficult to explain that if we want to finalize precisely the war…then Russia must lose. If we want to continue the war, and so in order to discredit international law as much as possible, we need to agree on something with the Russian Federation,” said Mikhail Podolyak.

The two-day meeting in Jeddah was attended by representatives of about 40 countries, including the USA, Canada, EU states, Great Britain, and Japan, which unequivocally support Kyiv and condemn Russian aggression. At the same time, diplomats from so-called neutral countries, including China, Brazil, India, and South Africa, also came to the talks. Russia was not invited to the meeting. The Ukrainian delegation told the audience in detail about the “peace formula” proposed earlier by President Volodymyr Zelensky. His plan provides for the transfer of territories to Ukraine within the borders of 1991, the withdrawal of all Russian troops, and the payment of reparations to Moscow.

Regarding the results of the meeting in Jeddah, it was reported that its participants did not agree on any joint document, but this was not planned. The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak confirmed information in the mass media that the participants of the international meeting spoke in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, including Ukraine.

In connection with the negotiations in Jeddah, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia noted that “without the participation of Russia and taking into account its interests, no meetings on the topic of the Ukrainian crisis have the slightest added value.” The application is given with reference to the words of the representative of the department Maria Zakharova. In Moscow, they emphasize that none of the points of Vladimir Zelensky’s “peace formula” “are aimed at finding…a solution to the crisis, and all of them represent a senseless ultimatum to Russia.”