Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced on Monday that a Saudi-organized meeting regarding Ukraine could be beneficial if it helps the West understand the futility of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s so-called ‘peace plan’.
Zakharova told TASS agency: “There are many suggested initiatives. We are in communication with partners. As for the event hosted by Saudi Arabia, if it aids the West in realizing the unfeasibility of Zelensky’s plan, it will not be fruitless.”
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, had earlier announced that Moscow will closely monitor the meeting set to take place in Saudi Arabia about Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal reported two days ago that senior officials from around 30 countries are set to participate in the meeting in early August. However, Russia is not included in the list of invitees.
The newspaper added, citing participating diplomats, that the meeting, scheduled for August 5 and 6 in the Saudi city of Jeddah, will bring together high-ranking officials from approximately 30 countries, including Kiev, Western countries, and major developing nations such as India and Brazil.
This comes after a senior Ukrainian official announced on Sunday that Kiev would begin consultations with Washington this week regarding securing guarantees while the process of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is completed.
The talks announced by the President’s office director Volodymyr Zelensky follow commitments made by the G7 nations after this month’s NATO summit in Lithuania to provide and implement security guarantees, according to Reuters.
Andriy Yermak posted on the messaging app Telegram: “We begin talks with the United States this week.”
