India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval reached Saudi Arabia's Jeddah on Saturday and joined his counterparts from at least 40 countries where they discussed a wide range of issues including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The two-day conference which was hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Doval cemented India's repeated calls to return to the path of dialogue in order to end the brutal conflict that erupted more than 18 months ago. However, Russia has not been invited to it, according to diplomatic sources.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China's Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui are among those attending the deliberations.
"India supports the global order based on principles enshrined in UN Charter and international law. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity by all states must be upheld without exception. All peace efforts involving all stakeholders must be pursued to find a just and enduring solution. It is in this spirit that India participated in the meeting in Jeddah," ANI sources quoted NSA Ajit Doval as saying.
"India is providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic assistance to its neighbours in Global South. India’s approach has been and always will be to promote dialogue and diplomacy. This is the only way forward for peace," he added.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday that India's participation in the meeting would be in consonance with its long-standing position that dialogue and diplomacy are the ways forward to resolve the Ukraine crisis.
Sources NSA said that the meeting confronts a two-fold challenge - resolution of the situation and softening the consequences of the conflict. Efforts must be directed on both fronts simultaneously and much more groundwork is needed to ensure this. Currently, several peace proposals have been put forward. Each has some positive points but none is acceptable to both sides. The key question that needs to be addressed in this meeting is whether a solution that is acceptable to all relevant stakeholders can be found: Sources India will remain an active and willing partner to find a lasting and comprehensive solution. Nothing will give India more happiness and satisfaction than such an outcome, NSA Doval said.
Saudi Arabia floated peace plan
Ahead of the high-level conference, Saudi Arabia said it is aimed at Riyadh's attempt to contribute to reaching a solution that will result in permanent peace and reduce the impact of the crisis. "The government of the Kingdom looks forward to this meeting contributing to reinforcing dialogue and cooperation through the exchanging of views, coordination, and deliberations at the international level on ways to ensure a solution to the crisis through political and diplomatic means," it said in a statement.
India has been maintaining that the Ukraine crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue. In May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held in-person talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. In the talks, Modi conveyed to Zelenskyy that India would do whatever possible to find a solution to the conflict. On his part, Zelenskyy briefed the Indian side in detail on his peace formula and urged New Delhi to join in its implementation.
At a bilateral meeting with Russian President Putin on September 16 last year in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, Modi said, "Today's era is not of war" and nudged the Russian leader to end the conflict.
We are moving step by step towards the Global Peace Summit: Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that it is "very important" that the world sees a fair and honest end to the Russian "aggression". "I am grateful to Saudi Arabia for this platform for negotiations. Recently, a meeting in the same format was held in Copenhagen. We are moving step by step towards the Global Peace Summit," he said on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Liberating Ukrainian land from the occupiers means restoring full respect for international law and the UN Charter," he added. "I am grateful to all those who support the peace formula and have already joined the joint efforts for the full implementation of the Formula," Zelenskyy said.
President Zelenskyy put forward a 10-point "peace plan" for ending the conflict that included punishing those responsible for the war crimes, withdrawing all Russian troops from Ukraine and restoring his country's territorial integrity. Under the plan, he also called for ensuring energy security, food security, and nuclear safety.
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