Ukraine Peace Talks Bolster Saudi Arabia as Diplomatic Heavyweight: Chatham House
Saudi Arabia has become a major diplomatic player and a key host for important international negotiations, the British Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) noted.
In the light of the ongoing negotiations between US, Russian and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, the geopolitics and foreign affairs specialist and Associate Fellow at Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, Neil Quilliam, highlighted the Kingdom’s growing role as a global mediator and peacemaker.
Riyadh: The Perfect Host
Quilliam said that the choice of Saudi Arabia to host the Ukraine ceasefire negotiations is due to Riyadh’s vital role in securing Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swaps and its willingness to use its “good offices” to facilitate bilateral and multilateral talks.
In September 2022, Riyadh brokered a large Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange that released ten foreign nationals captured in Ukraine.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia has adopted a policy of “positive neutrality” on the Ukraine conflict, allowing it to foster close personal relations with Russian and Ukrainian officials as a neutral partner.
Mediation Experience
The Kingdom has also gained significant experience in conflict mediation, according to Quilliam’s commentary. Riyadh has played a pivotal role, alongside Abu Dhabi, in brokering a peace deal between Eritrea and Ethiopia in 2018, which put an end to a two-decades-long conflict.
Both the Kingdom and the UAE leveraged various mediation tools, including hosting direct negotiations; providing economic and security incentives; and applying diplomatic pressure to bring both parties to the negotiating table.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia made significant mediation efforts in 2023, in collaboration with the US, to end the conflict in Sudan. These efforts culminated in the Jeddah Declaration, the first formal agreement between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which led to a seven-day ceasefire.
The Jeddah Declaration not only formed a basis for future negotiations to end the Sudan conflict, but also established the Kingdom’s status as a key diplomatic player, Quilliam added.
Regional Diplomacy
Although some Gulf States have played active roles in regional diplomacy, Saudi Arabia has gained valuable experience and enhanced its mediation skills without linking itself to groups that Western countries perceive as hostile to their interests, the Chatham House Associate Fellow said.
This lends weight to Riyadh as a perfect host for international negotiations. Its role in facilitating Ukraine ceasefire talks, regardless the outcome, will establish its position as a leader in international mediation, peace and security efforts.
Ukraine Peace Talks
Saudi Arabia has played an active diplomatic role to end the Ukrainian crisis as it maintains balanced relations with all sides. The Kingdom has hosted three rounds of negotiations between American, Russian and Ukrainian officials to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The third round of talks are taking place in Riyadh, featuring separate meetings between US and Russian officials and US and Ukrainian officials.
These talks follow a high-level meeting between American and Russian diplomats in Riyadh on February 18, 2025 and talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah on March 11, 2025, held upon the directives of the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman.
The talks come as part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to “resolve the crisis in Ukraine and leverage its balanced relations with all parties,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. They also align with the Kingdom’s efforts to “enhance global security and peace, and based on its belief in the importance of adhering to international laws and norms.”
Furthermore, the talks come as part of the Kingdom’s belief that “dialogue is the only path to resolving disputes and bringing perspectives of both sides closer to achieve productive results that contribute to global security and peace,” the statement added.
