NSA Ajit Doval Leaves for Jeddah to Attend Two-Day Ukraine Peace Talks | Exclusive

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday left for Jeddah to attend the Ukraine peace talks over Russia’s war organized by Saudi Arabia on August 5 and 6, said top government sources.

“We have been invited and we will go. Our view is neutral and balanced. We will give our views, whether it’s the Saudi forum or an American forum. We have always batted for peace," said the source.

“India has strategic interest in Russia in oil, defence and other sectors. Russia won’t be upset if we attend the meet," added the source.

NSAs from China, the United States of America (USA )and United Kingdom (UK) are attending the talks.

WHY SAUDI?

Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the talks comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May attended an Arab League summit in Jeddah to press those nations to back Kyiv. Arab nations largely have remained neutral since Russia launched the war on Ukraine in February 2022, in part over their military and economic ties to Moscow.

Saudi Arabia also has maintained a close relationship with Russia as part of the OPEC+ group. The organization’s oil production cuts, even as Moscow’s war on Ukraine boosted energy prices, have angered US president Joe Biden and American lawmakers.

Hosting such talks will also help raise the profile of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has sought to reach a détente with Iran and push for peace in the kingdom’s years-long war in Yemen.

However, ties also remain strained between Riyadh and the West over the 2018 killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, which the US intelligence agencies assess that Prince Mohammed ordered.

INDIA-UKRAINE TIES

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May said he viewed the current situation in Ukraine as an issue of humanity and human values and not of politics or economy even as he called for respecting international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.

In an address at a G7 session in Hiroshima, Modi also strongly pitched for raising voice collectively against unilateral attempts to change the status quo, asserting that any tension and dispute should be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

The prime minister also referred to his talks with Zelenskyy and reiterated that India will do whatever is possible to resolve the conflict.

Modi’s comments came after Zelenskyy addressed the G7 leaders seeking global support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russian aggression.