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Saudi Arabia’s efforts to position itself as an influential player in the Ukraine-Russia war reflected on the summit it hosted recently, showcasing its multifaceted approach to global politics.
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Muhammed bin Salman’s invitation to President Zelenskyy to the Arab League summit earlier this year signified his will to engage with the Ukrainian leader.
That summit saw Zelenskyy calling out certain Arab leaders for neglecting the horrors Russia has imposed upon Ukraine, highlighting the divisions within the Arab world on the Russia-Ukraine war. Moreover, the Saudi Arabian leader aided a swap of prisoners between both war-torn nations last year and sent US$400 million as humanitarian aid to the latter.
Last week, Saudi Arabia welcomed officials from 40 countries to discuss a possible end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Held in Jeddah over two days, the summit marked a significant milestone for Ukraine, for its pivotal effort to secure backing from countries of the Global South, a strategic move to balance its support base beyond the Western nations.
Through the recent summit, Zelenskyy managed to push for further discussions for his 10-point peace plan. His “peace formula” includes the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian troops, food, and nuclear security among other calls to action.
Though a similar event was held in Copenhagen in June, there were stark differences between both summits.
Other than the increased support after the Saudi Arabian summit, the event also saw the participation of neutral nations – some being allies of Russia. Despite not being invited to the event, it was not completely disengaged as the Kremlin released a statement indicating its intent to closely monitor the summit’s outcome.
Most of the invited BRICS (Brazil, India, China, South Africa) group of countries otherwise known to have not chosen sides throughout the war have shown interest in furthering Zelenskyy’s hopes of peace.
There are a number of reasons for the group’s previously muted response. The main reason being that all four members of the BRICS (excluding Russia) have close economic ties to the Kremlin with China being its largest trading partner, and India its second largest. A full-blown economic war against Russia would hurt all their economies.
In April 2022, the BRICS countries held a summit in Beijing, where they issued a statement expressing support for further peace discussions regarding the war. This marked the first time that the BRICS countries had taken a strong stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The BRICS countries showed support for UN humanitarian assistance in Ukraine citing the “basic principles of humanity, neutrality, and impartiality”.
The group is set to discuss the war in another forum between them at the end of August, but will not see Russia’s participation due to Putin’s arrest warrant. A partnership between the BRICS, and Saudi Arabia could help Ukraine rebuild its economy, secure its energy supplies, and promote peace and stability in the region.
Aside from the other BRICS nations, China’s backing of Zelenskyy was seen as a small win though it did not come without inevitable disagreements.
A statement released by the Chinese ministry mentioned that the country was “willing to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine”. The summit has left China backing for a third round of discussions about Zelenskyy’s peace plan.
As mentioned earlier, Putin and China’s President Xi Jin Ping are major trading partners, with their bilateral trade exceeding $93.8 billion in the first five months of 2023. Moreover, Russia has been selling oil at discounted prices to China and India to fund its war, making them valuable to its economy. The economic ties of these nations explains President Xi’s impartial but rational approach in order to prevent jeopardy to their profitable alliance.
