National security advisers and senior officials from around the world will gather in Doha to discuss plans for a summit on Ukraine’s terms for ending the war.
About this informs Bloomberg.
The meeting of representatives of the G7 and the so-called Global South is part of a series of talks that prepare the ground for a high-level summit to be held in Switzerland in June. Some of the earlier meetings included dozens of other Gulf countries, the G20 and BRICS, which includes Brazil and India. A smaller meeting took place last December.
The list of participants of the meeting in the capital of Qatar has not yet been finalized. Russia has not been invited, and it is unclear whether China will attend.
Ukraine’s allies consider Beijing’s participation essential to the success of the summit, given the influence China has over Moscow.
Kyiv’s “Peace Plan” envisages respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, the withdrawal of Russian troops, as well as guarantees of future security. It also contains specific provisions for the protection of nuclear power plants and the food supply.
Kyiv wants these principles to be agreed at a summit in Switzerland in June, which should precede any potential talks involving Russia. China is seen as a key player that can add weight to any deal, so the question of whether anyone from Beijing will appear at this meeting is important.
China has so far only participated in one of the previous meetings, which was held in Saudi Arabia last August. Beijing and several other BRICS countries insist that Russia should be invited to participate in the discussions.
