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Saudi-Ukrainian Talks Discuss ‘World Peace Summit’

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his reception of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his reception of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (SPA)
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Saudi-Ukrainian Talks Discuss ‘World Peace Summit’

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his reception of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his reception of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (SPA)

Ukraine’s presidency revealed on Wednesday talks with Saudi Arabia, focusing on the upcoming high-level peace conference in Switzerland next summer, amidst ongoing Russian military actions.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, recently held a phone call conversation with Saudi National Security Adviser Musaad Al-Aiban, appreciating their ongoing dialogue.
Yermak also thanked Al-Aiban for the continued implementation of agreements reached between Ukraine and the Kingdom.
According to the presidency, the two officials discussed the organization of the summit in Switzerland and Saudi Arabia’s readiness to contribute to achieving lasting peace.
Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia, the two countries are engaging in talks for the second time in less than a year.
During his visit, Zelensky received assurances from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Saudi Arabia’s commitment to international efforts to resolve the Ukrainian-Russian crisis politically.
Last May, Saudi Arabia hosted Zelensky as a guest at the Arab Summit in Jeddah, where Arab leaders gathered.
Zelensky praised Saudi Arabia’s role in mediating prisoner releases and outlined his ten-point peace plan aimed at involving more countries.
Last August, a meeting in Jeddah gathered national security advisers and representatives from over 40 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations.
Led by Al-Aiban, they discussed the Ukrainian crisis and agreed to continue international consultations for peace. Kyiv appreciated Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the meeting.
Meanwhile, Saudi relief planes, operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, continue to fly to Ukraine, with thirteen planes having arrived so far.
Yermak also stated on Sunday that Ukraine and its allies might ask Russia to join a peace summit in the coming months to discuss ending the two-year-long war, on Kyiv’s terms.
Media reports suggest Switzerland will host the global summit next summer to discuss the peace plan proposed by Ukraine’s Zelensky.
Political researcher Ghassan Ibrahim sees Ukraine relying on Saudi Arabia’s role in achieving peace and easing tensions with Russia.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Ibrahim noted Saudi Arabia’s neutral stance, humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and mediation efforts for prisoner releases as reasons for its significant position in the Ukrainian-Russian crisis.

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UAE: Life Sentences for 24 Defendants in the ‘Justice and Dignity’ Case

The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court (WAM)
The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court (WAM)
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UAE: Life Sentences for 24 Defendants in the ‘Justice and Dignity’ Case

The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court (WAM)
The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court (WAM)

The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court has issued a ruling partially overturning a previous verdict in the case known as the “Justice and Dignity Terrorist Organization,” sentencing 24 defendants to life imprisonment after they were found guilty of collaborating with the group and funding the “Al Islah Terrorist Organization.”

The court also ordered the confiscation of funds and tools seized in connection with both crimes.

The court delivered its decision during a session held on Thursday, June 26, following the partial acceptance of an appeal filed by the Attorney General, Counselor Dr. Hamad Al Shamsi. The appeal contested the ruling of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal – State Security Chamber, which had dismissed the criminal case on the grounds that the defendants had already been tried in the matter.

In his appeal, the Attorney General argued that the contested ruling was flawed, as it failed to recognize the distinct nature of the crimes of financing and collaborating with the terrorist organization as stipulated under Federal Law No. (1) of 2004. He noted that these charges had not been included in the earlier 2012 case, in which the defendants were convicted solely of establishing and managing the “Al Islah Organization,” in accordance with the Penal Code.

In its reasoning, the Federal Supreme Court emphasized that the acts attributed to the defendants in the current case are different from those previously adjudicated. The court stated that they cannot be considered a single act under multiple legal descriptions, as the cause and subject of each are separate. It underlined that the criminal conduct at the heart of the new charges is distinct and carries a harsher penalty prescribed by law, thereby justifying a retrial on these offenses.

As a result of this ruling, the number of convicted individuals in what is regarded as one of the country’s largest national security cases has risen to 83 out of 84 defendants referred to trial.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the State Security Chamber of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal had previously convicted 53 defendants, who were leaders and members of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organization, along with six affiliated companies. Sentences in that judgment ranged from life imprisonment to temporary prison terms, as well as fines of up to 20 million dirhams. One defendant was acquitted.

WAM confirmed that this ruling reflects the UAE’s approach in confronting terrorist organizations and their financing, underscoring the independence of the judiciary and its strict application of the law in matters that threaten the security and stability of the state.