Saudi: from global pariah to peace broker
Momentum is building ahead of Russia-Ukraine peace talks being held in Saudi Arabia this weekend, as President Zelensky accelerates attempts to persuade countries in the global south to back his proposals for ending the war.
Admittedly, “peace talks” is an ever-so-slightly misleading term, when only one of the two warring sides has been invited to attend.
Ukraine, which is organising the summit alongside the Saudis, has made it plain that Russia is not welcome.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says Moscow will “monitor this meeting,” but has restated President Putin’s position that there are no grounds for a ceasefire while Ukrainian forces are on the offensive. Indeed, with reports only today of further Ukrainian drone attacks in Moscow, genuine peace negotiations between the two sides look like a distant prospect.
The real aim of the summit, which will be held in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, is to draw neutral countries off the fence and attempt to broaden global support for Ukraine’s 10-point peace plan. Proposed by Volodymyr Zelensky in December, the plan calls for the withdrawal of all Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s post-Soviet borders. Around 30 countries have been invited, including Indonesia, India, Brazil, South Africa as well as Kyiv’s staunch allies such as the UK, US and Poland.
Saudi Arabia is thought to have been chosen as the host partly in the hope of persuading China — which has close ties to Riyadh and is now the biggest importer of Saudi oil — to attend.
Arab nations have remained largely neutral since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While Saudi Arabia announced $400m in aid for Ukraine, its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, often referred to as MBS, certainly hasn’t cut ties with Moscow. He was quick to express his support for Putin in the wake of the Wagner revolt and has faced accusations from Washington of helping Russia to fund its war by cutting its crude production to raise global oil prices.
Yet the Crown Prince’s eagerness to host this weekend’s peace talks appears to be part of a wider rebrand.
After the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, which US intelligence agencies say was ordered by MBS, Joe Biden vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah”.
To no avail. Since then, Crown Prince Mohammed has laid out his 2030 vision for Saudi Arabia – coinciding with his bid for the 2030 World Expo – and, as Adam Boulton writes in Reaction, it includes greater freedom for women, a big tourism push as well as an aim to make his country an “ambitious nation”. And on a diplomatic level, it looks as though his government is seeking a more assertive – but also a more conciliatory – foreign policy.
In just the last year, Saudi Arabia has reconciled with its long-time regional rival Iran, restored diplomatic ties with Syria after a decade, pushed for peace in its war in Yemen and has even brokered peace talks between Sudan’s warring factions.
Back in September, MBS acted as the negotiator in prisoner swaps between Ukraine and Russia – including one which led to the release of five British nationals, held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine and facing the death penalty.
Hosting this weekend’s summit is another chance for the Crown Prince to demonstrate that his desert kingdom is far from a global pariah. On the contrary, it is increasingly playing the role of a responsible and diplomatic heavyweight on the world stage.
Write to us with your comments to be considered for publication at letters@reaction.life