Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Saudi Arabia has showed its willingness to mediate negotiation between Russia and Ukraine as part of international efforts to resolve the conflict politically.

A Council of Ministers session chaired by King Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Tuesday (March 8) affirmed the Kingdom’s support for any initiative that contributes to a de-escalation of the crisis, Arab News reported.

The council discussed two phone calls received by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia began an invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014.

The United Nations human rights office said it has verified 1,335 civilian casualties so far in Ukraine, including 474 killed and 861 injured, but the true toll was likely to be higher.

Ukraine claimed its forces have killed more than 11,000 Russian troops. Russia has confirmed about 500 losses.

Reporting by Indonesia Window