Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday to discuss preparations for the upcoming summit on Ukraine, scheduled to take place in Switzerland this week.
This summit is part of Zelensky’s broader effort to garner additional international support.
Zelensky’s visit to Saudi Arabia, which has maintained a neutral stance in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, was unannounced and was reported by the official Saudi media.
Upon his arrival in the coastal city of Jeddah, Zelensky was welcomed by Saudi officials, including the National Security Advisor and the Saudi Ambassador to Kyiv.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry shared images on social media platform X, depicting the meeting between Zelensky and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
However, details of their discussions were not disclosed. Zelensky later posted on X that their conversation covered the preparations for the “first global summit for peace,” its expected outcomes, potential implementation, and ways to bring Ukraine closer to achieving genuine peace.
Saudi Arabia, as the world’s largest crude oil exporter, has maintained close cooperation with Russia on oil policy and has positioned itself as a potential mediator since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
In recent weeks, Zelensky has embarked on a global tour to rally support for the peace summit in Switzerland.
His visits have included countries in the Middle East and Asia, which have stronger ties with Russia, as well as Ukraine’s traditional allies in the European Union. Earlier this month, Zelensky visited Singapore, the Philippines, and Qatar.
Approximately 90 countries are expected to send representatives to the Swiss summit to discuss Kyiv’s plan to end the war. Zelensky has personally persuaded many officials to attend through his visits.
However, Saudi Arabia has not yet confirmed its participation in the summit, as reported by Gulf region diplomats to Agence France-Presse last week.
The summit is taking place amidst a challenging situation on the ground, with Russia making gains in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces are struggling with shortages of equipment and ammunition. Zelensky has urged Ukraine’s allies to increase air defense supplies to Kyiv.
Coinciding with Zelensky’s arrival in Saudi Arabia, Kyiv reported a Russian airstrike on Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, resulting in eight deaths and twenty injuries.
