Saudi Arabia will host a second round of Ukraine peace talks on August 5, EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali told The National on Monday.
Senior EU officials will attend the meeting with about 40 other country representatives, said the official. It comes after a first round of peace talks in Copenhagen in June.
“This meeting will provide an opportunity for further exchanges with global partners and Ukraine on the Ukraine’s Peace Formula, in preparation for an upcoming Global Peace Summit,” Ms Massrali said in an email.
A global summit is expected by the end of the year, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Sunday.
“Any initiative for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine must be based on full respect for its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders,” added Ms Massrali.
A Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry source previously told The National that the talks are likely to be held in Jeddah.
Several countries have reportedly confirmed their attendance, including South Africa and Poland, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported details of the meeting on Saturday.
The WSJ said the meeting would take place over two days, on August 5 and August 6.
A Dutch Foreign Ministry representative told The National that they would also attend and welcomed Ukraine's “international outreach” to discuss Mr Zelenskyy's 10-point peace plan announced in December.
“It is up to Ukraine to negotiate their peace and decide over possible outcomes,” they said of the meeting, which excludes Russia.
The choice of Saudi Arabia is widely viewed as an attempt by Ukraine and its western supporters to woo the global South.
Western officials reportedly hope that Saudi Arabia will convince China to participate in the talks. China did not participate in the previous round of talks in Denmark.
Mr Zelenskyy's last visit to Saudi Arabia was during a recent Arab League summit when he attempted to rally Arab support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion last year.
The EU's confirmation of attendance came as the deputy secretary general of the bloc's external action service, Enrique Mora, hosted Rayed Krimly, the head of policy planning at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Brussels.
“Excellent discussion today in Brussels with Dr Rayed Krimly on issues of common interest,” tweeted Mr Mora.
“Challenging times require strong partnerships. The EU is committed to further expand its partnership with Saudi Arabia to tackle challenges in the region and beyond.”
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
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How to avoid crypto fraud
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The specs
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Torque: 250Nm
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
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Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)