Ukraine will make a renewed push this weekend at a gathering in Saudi Arabia to win the support of dozens of countries that have remained on the sidelines of the war — the start of a broader campaign in the months ahead to build the diplomatic muscle to isolate and weaken Russia.

Ukraine and Saudi Arabia invited diplomats from some 40 governments to talks in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. Notable among them were China, India, Brazil, South Africa and some of the oil-rich Gulf nations that have tried to maintain good relations with both Ukraine and Russia throughout the war, which began in February 2022.

Many of the invited governments reject the very concept of choosing sides, framing the war as a contest between global powers that they want no part in, and even with the event fast approaching, it was unclear how many would attend.

The meeting is the starting point of what is expected to be a major Ukrainian diplomatic push in the coming months to try to undercut Russia. It began on Wednesday when President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine recalled his ambassadors for an emergency strategy session on how to get the country’s message out to the world.

He told the ambassadors they must use every tool at their disposal — “official and unofficial, institutional and media, cultural diplomacy and the power of ordinary human sincerity” — to convince both steadfast allies and nations that have largely stayed neutral that the only road to a lasting peace is complete Russian defeat.

The UN General Assembly session in September will offer another chance for Ukraine to make its case. And it is also planning a summit later in autumn to shore up backing for its 10-point peace formula.

Ukrainian and western officials have tried to temper expectations for the talks, stressing that they are not likely to bring the war any closer to an end and that many of the nations that were invited appear unlikely to shift their stances.

New York Times News Service