“A small but significant step.” This is how a European diplomatic source summarized yesterday afternoon the result of the meeting of more than 40 countries in Jeddah to try to de-escalate the Ukrainian conflict.
Diplomatic representatives from Ukraine’s allies attended, but also from countries in the Global South that have so far been unwilling to take sides. China, Russia’s staunchest ally, also attended.
Together they decided to create two working groups, one on food safety and the other on nuclear safety, two very practical and far-reaching aspects.
The Kremlin has not renewed the agreement so that Ukraine can export cereals through the Black Sea, a blockade that endangers the supply of many countries, especially in the Middle East and Africa.
Likewise, the fighting around the Zaporiya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, could cause a radioactive leak in central Ukraine.
“Food and nuclear safety are areas in which we can work and which, without a doubt, can help to reduce tension,” explained the European diplomatic source.
Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said that “we have had very productive consultations on basic points on which to build a lasting peace.”
Of the ten points in President Zelenski’s peace plan, the two addressed in Jeddah are the most affordable.
In Jeddah there was a consensus on the need to respect international law, that is, the sovereignty and borders of any country. But it was not possible to go further. The general principle is fine to set the framework for the negotiation, but those present in Jeddah were not prepared to go into detail.
Yermak recognized that the points of view are very different. The reasons for the war and the territorial consequences are far removed from the interests of the countries of the Global South. Many believe that Russia has invaded Ukraine to protect itself from NATO and EU expansionism, and that its security must somehow be guaranteed. Yermak appreciated these comments. “The conversation has been very open and honest,” he said.
Russia was not invited to Yida. and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov declared the meeting “a futile attempt by the West to rally the Global South behind Zelensky.”
Many African countries, for example, have good relations with Russia, a consequence of the role played by the Soviet Union in the 1960s in favor of decolonization.
This weekend’s meeting in Jeddah ended without a final statement. There are still more meetings to reach the consensus that allows it.
In 18 months of war, however, there had not been a more productive meeting in favor of a negotiated solution. The presence of China, Brazil, South Africa and India, their commitment to continue working for the sake of food and nuclear security, is good news for the field of peace.
To the gesture of being in Jeddah, China yesterday added another one in favor of dialogue. Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone with Josep Borrell, a senior representative of European diplomacy, and invited him to visit China in the autumn.
