Saudi FM Holds Talks with High-level Officials on Sidelines of Ukraine Peace Summit

Part of the Saudi FM meetings with officials on the sidelines of the peace summit in Ukraine - SPA
Part of the Saudi FM meetings with officials on the sidelines of the peace summit in Ukraine - SPA
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Saudi FM Holds Talks with High-level Officials on Sidelines of Ukraine Peace Summit

Part of the Saudi FM meetings with officials on the sidelines of the peace summit in Ukraine - SPA
Part of the Saudi FM meetings with officials on the sidelines of the peace summit in Ukraine - SPA

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met on Saturday with a number of world leaders and officials on the sidelines of the peace summit on Ukraine in Lucerne, Switzerland, including President of the European Council Charles Michel.
The meeting reviewed the historic Saudi-EU relations and discussed ways to enhance them in various fields, as well as the latest regional and international developments of mutual concern.

He also met with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and discussed means of developing relations between Saudi Arabia and Norway, as well as regional and international developments and efforts to address them.

Prince Faisal also held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and discussed the latest developments in the Ukrainian-Russian crisis, as well as opportunities to enhance bilateral cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Ukraine and ways to support and develop these relations in various fields.

The Saudi FM also reviewed with Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Fuad Hussein the fraternal relations between the two Iraq and the Kingdom and ways to strengthen and develop them.



Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
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Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo

Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress but an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war remains elusive.

"We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That's the key point of the entire negotiations," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, Reuters reported.

Mossad Director David Barnea traveled to Doha on Thursday to meet Sheikh Mohammed amid efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported last week.

Sheikh Mohammed didn't say which elements of the ceasefire talks had progressed in recent days, but said Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.

He said the militant group is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages if Israel ends the war in Gaza. But Israel wants Hamas to release the remaining hostages without offering a clear vision on ending the war, he said.

"When you don't have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities (to end the war) become very thin," Sheikh Mohammed said at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Fidan said talks Turkish officials have held with Hamas had shown the group would be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel, including a two-state solution.

Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a January ceasefire collapsed, saying it would keep up pressure on Hamas until it frees the remaining hostages still held in the enclave. Up to 24 of them are believed to still be alive.

The Gaza war started after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave killed more than 51,400, according to local health officials.