Zelensky advisor says not all countries participating in Saudi peace talks understood why Russia must leave Ukraine

Zelensky administration advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Monday that one of the most challenging issues at this weekend’s talks in Saudi Arabia was the fact that not all participating countries understand why the war can’t end until Russia is fully out of Ukraine’s territory.

According to Podolyak, some countries believe that there are “some sort of territorial disputes between Russia and Ukraine,” and that Russia invaded Ukraine for the sake of the Donbas territories.

“Negotiations without a Russian loss would discredit international law,” Podolyak said. “Leaving any [of Ukraine’s occupied territories] to Russia, even a small patch, would mean that the war is simply being carried into its next stages.”

Talks on reaching a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine were held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 5–6. Russia was not invited, but representatives of Brazil, China, multiple African countries, and other countries that have taken a neutral stance on Russia’s invasion did attend.