Saudi Summit On Ukraine Was 'Productive', State Dept. Says

Washington D.C./08.08.23/Turan:​ ​ The United States on Monday characterized the Jeddah peace summit on Ukraine as "productive," TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We thought it was productive that a number of countries were able to hear directly from Ukraine about both the violence that has been inflicted on their country by Russia and also their vision for a just and lasting peace that preserves their territorial integrity and preserves their sovereignty," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions on the matter.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland were among the attendees of the summit. Besides host Saudi Arabia, representatives of 40 countries, including Ukraine, Germany, Türkiye, also took part.

While a little has been said about what exactly went down at the gathering, Miller drew attention to the fact that Russia has criticized the fact that this meeting was held.

In addition to attending the meeting, Nuland and Sullivan held a brief separate meeting with the Chinese special envoy and former ambassador to Russia, Li Hui.

TURAN also asked Miller about the results of last week's U.S.-Ukraine dialogue on security guarantees. "This was the first of what will be a number of conversations," he said.

Ensure Ukraine’s long-term security is Washington's 'priority,' according to Miller. "That was the subject of these conversations."

Secretary Antony Blinken on Monday spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, over the phone, discussing both Jeddah talks, and "long-term security arrangements."

"The Secretary reiterated the United States’ staunch and ongoing support of Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s aggression and reaffirmed continued support of a strong Ukrainian military and accountable defense institutions," Miller added.

Alex Raufoglu