(Riyadh) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed preparations for the summit on Ukraine scheduled for this week in Switzerland with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, during which he hopes to garner support.
Mr. Zelensky’s plane landed in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah, where he was greeted by Saudi officials, including the national security adviser and the ambassador in Kyiv, the news agency said official Saudi SPA. His visit had not been announced in advance.
But Mr. Zelensky claimed on real”.
Middle Eastern heavyweight Saudi Arabia seeks to remain neutral in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
The kingdom, the world’s top crude exporter, works closely with Moscow on oil policy and has touted its ties with Moscow and Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, positioning itself as a possible mediator.
In recent weeks, Mr. Zelensky has traveled to numerous countries to drum up support and participation in the Swiss peace summit.
He visited not only his traditional allies in the European Union, but also countries in the Middle East and Asia that have closer relations with Russia. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian leader visited Singapore, the Philippines and Qatar.
The summit comes as Russia has made some progress on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, with Kyiv’s forces facing a shortage of men and ammunition.
Zelensky called on Ukraine’s allies to step up deliveries of air defense equipment to Kyiv.
As he arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Kyiv announced that a Russian strike on his hometown of Kryvyi Rig had killed eight people.
In August 2023, Saudi Arabia hosted war talks attended by representatives from more than 40 countries, but Russia was not present.
Mr. Zelensky attended a May 2023 Arab League summit in Jeddah where he accused some leaders of turning a blind eye to the horrors of the Russian invasion.
More recently, he came to the kingdom in February where he spoke with the crown prince about a peace plan and possible exchanges of prisoners of war.
The kingdom has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including stipends for Ukrainian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries.
