The two-day meeting, attended by officials from nations including the United States, China and India, is part of a diplomatic push by Kyiv to build broader international support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point formula for a peace settlement, the Reuters news agency reported.
Zelensky on Saturday said there were differences among the countries attending the gathering in Jeddah, a Saudi Arabian port city on the Red Sea, but added that "the international rules-based order, violated by Russian aggression, must be restored."
"Different continents, different political approaches to world affairs, but all are united by the priority of international law," he said in a video message.
He added, as quoted by his office in English: "It is very important that there, on the sidelines of the meeting in Jeddah, bilateral negotiations with partners take place ... Consolidation of the world is one of the most essential tasks."
'Poland supports the plan': presidential aide
Polish presidential aide Marcin Przydacz, who is representing Poland during the multinational talks on Saturday and Sunday, has voiced support for Zelensky's 10-point peace plan.
Marcin Przydacz. Photo: Przemysław Chmielewski/Polish Radio
The plan includes calls for the full restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, a full withdrawal of Russian troops, the protection of food and energy supplies, nuclear safety and the release of prisoners, according to news outlets.
"Poland supports the plan and this will be my position during the talks in Saudi Arabia," Przydacz said in an interview with public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency on Friday.
He added that the meeting in Saudi Arabia would focus on "individual points of the plan," including "energy security, responsibility for war crimes, and territorial integrity as the basis for any future peace settlement."
Przydacz is a senior foreign policy adviser to Polish President Andrzej Duda. He heads the Polish president's International Policy Bureau.
A European Union official was quoted as saying on Saturday that there would be no joint statement after the meeting, which excludes Russia, but the event's Saudi hosts would present a plan for further talks on issues such as global food security, nuclear safety and prisoner releases.
The official described the talks as positive, and said there was "agreement that respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine needs to be at the heart of any peace settlement," according to Reuters.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Warsaw, Vasyl Zvarych, has welcomed Poland's participation in the talks in Saudi Arabia and hailed Warsaw's contribution to international efforts to support his country's defence against Russian aggression.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Sunday is day 529 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, president.gov.ua