COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark will host a meeting this weekend of national security advisers from Western countries backing Ukraine and countries that have refused to condemn the Russian invasion, officials said Thursday.
The U.S. will send national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland to the meeting in Copenhagen, which will focus on how to achieve a just peace in Ukraine, a Western official said on condition of anonymity because the trip hasn't been formally announced.
India, Brazil and South Africa, which have refused to condemn the invasion and join Western sanctions on Moscow, have also been invited to the talks, the official said, but couldn’t say which countries would attend.
South Africa foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela confirmed the country would send national security adviser Sydney Mufamadi and Foreign Ministry Director-General Zane Dangor to the meeting in the Danish capital.
Danish officials didn’t respond to requests for comment on Thursday, but Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has previously said that Denmark would be willing to host talks on how to end the war with a variety of countries, including those that haven't offered their support to Ukraine.
Brazil, India, China and South Africa, which along with Russia make up the BRICS group of developing economies, have adopted neutral stances in the conflict and called for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
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Aamer Madhani in Washington, and Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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This story has been corrected to show that the name of South Africa’s national security adviser is Sydney, not Syndey.
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