Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is attending a summit of Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia on Friday, which includes leaders either neutral toward Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or outwardly supportive of President Vladimir Putin.
(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is attending a summit of Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia on Friday, which includes leaders either neutral toward Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or outwardly supportive of President Vladimir Putin.
He will address the gathering and meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a post on Telegram.
Zelenskiy arrived in Jeddah aboard a French plane that took off from Poland, according to Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV. It’s Zelenskiy’s first visit to the Persian Gulf since the start of the war in February 2022, and is a stop off on his way to the Group of Seven meeting in Japan.
Al Arabiya showed Zelenskiy in his trademark khaki overalls stepping off the plane to be greeted by Saudi officials. A Saudi military officer saluted the Ukrainian leader before he was whisked away in a sedan.
Among the leaders in attendance is Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, who was propped up by Russian military intervention during his country’s war and remains dependent on Moscow’s support. Many Western officials and analysts have said that Putin’s decision to seize Crimea in 2014 was influenced by what he saw as inaction by Western powers in Syria, despite Assad being accused of perpetrating atrocities against his people.
Saudi Arabia is eager to be seen as the region’s uncontested economic and political leader. It’s increasingly playing the role of conflict mediator.
When it comes to Russia, Saudi Arabia sees OPEC+ — an alliance of oil producers led by Riyadh and Moscow — as crucial for the stability of energy markets. Still, it has tried to strike a balanced approach to the war in Ukraine.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan traveled to Kyiv in February, where he met with Zelenskiy and offered more than $400 million in financial support. Both Ukraine and its allies in Europe and the US may be looking to the oil-rich kingdom and other Gulf Arab states as a source of further funding. The Ukraine Recovery Conference will be held in London next month.
–With assistance from Kateryna Kadabashy.
(Updates with details on Zelenskiy’s arrival.)
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