A Saudi Arabia and Qatar defended the urgency of a political plan to end the war in Ukraine, with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan maintaining that “any credible process requires Russia’s participation.”

“It is important that the international community encourages all steps towards serious negotiations (…) and it is essential to underline that any credible process requires Russia’s involvement,” he said.

The Saudi minister recalled that Riyadh, an ally of Russia, “expressed its availability to mediate the resolution of the conflict” and that “these efforts were successful in guaranteeing the exchange of dozens of prisoners, including several foreigners”.

Stressing that his presence at the summit “results from the commitment to support all efforts aimed at putting an end to this conflict and achieving a just and sustainable peace”, the Saudi minister expressed the hope that the Swiss summit “lays the foundations for a political way to resolve the conflict”.

The Saudi representative further reiterated that Riyadh will continue to maintain “positive relations with both sides” while providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohamed bin Abdulrahman, renewed the call for the parties to “comply with the United Nations Charter and international law, respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries.”

“In the midst of an international climate of conflict, the importance of continuing to call for a ceasefire and work towards peaceful solutions is clearer now than at any other time,” he said.

He recalled that Doha hosted Russian-Ukrainian talks “to discuss the reunion of Ukrainian children with their families in Ukraine”, and that “this effort was welcomed by Russia”.

In the same vein, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan regretted Russia’s absence from the summit and considered that the result would be more effective with all parties involved at the table.

“This summit would be more fruitful if the other party, Russia, was present in the room,” he said during his speech at the meeting.

The minister assured that his country is actively working for peace, while defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and assured that Turkey’s approach is “realistic”.

Fidan stated that both Russia and Ukraine have presented peace plans, but both view their respective proposals as an extension of the war effort.

“The peace summit could be a last opportunity,” he warned.

In this sense, he said that there is a risk of the war extending beyond Ukraine and that it could end up involving the use of weapons of mass destruction.

The President of Kenya, William Ruto, argued, for his part, that the freezing of Russian assets in Western countries is as illegal as the Russian aggression and invasion of Ukraine.

“Russia’s invasion was illegal and unacceptable, but the unilateral seizure of assets is equally illegal and undermines the United Nations Charter,” Ruto said.

The President considered the summit a “historic step in the right direction and the first time that there was talk of peace in Ukraine and not war”.

However, he stated that “commitment to peace makes some fundamental concessions inevitable” and that Russia must be directly involved in any peace negotiations.

“It is time for both parties to show good faith and soften their positions,” he said.

The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, highlighted the negative impact that this conflict had on international markets and the way it affected millions of people in Africa, affecting the most vulnerable when they were emerging from the crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic. .

Akufo-Addo considered that this conference on peace in Ukraine offers a new platform for dialogue and to address the complexities of this conflict, among which he mentioned the need for any proposed resolution to take into account the security concerns of both Ukraine and the Russia, if lasting peace is to be achieved.

The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).

Read Also: Peace “cannot be a Ukrainian capitulation”, argues Macron

Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2580860/paises-defendem-participacao-da-russia-em-cimeira-para-credibilizar-paz

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