Fri 19 May 2023:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a surprise trip to Saudi Arabia, where the Arab League is hosting an annual summit.
Writing on Twitter on Friday, he said that he was “Beginning my first-ever visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to enhance bilateral relations and Ukraine’s ties with the Arab world”.
He said he would discuss “political prisoners in Crimea and temporarily occupied territories, the return of our people, peace formula [and] energy cooperation”.
Saudi Arabia “plays a significant role, and we are ready to take our cooperation to a new level”, Zelenskyy said.
Beginning my first-ever visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to enhance bilateral relations and Ukraine’s ties with the Arab world. Political prisoners in Crimea and temporarily occupied territories, the return of our people, Peace Formula, energy cooperation. KSA plays a…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 19, 2023
Zelenskyy treads new ground
The Ukrainian president has visited a number of countries since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country on February 204, 2022.
However, his visits have been largely confined to staunch allies, including several European Union states, the United Kingdom and the United States. He will also travel to Japan over the weekend to attend the G7 meeting.
His visit to Saudi Arabia marks a clear deviation from this strategy as Ukraine looks to drum up support among countries that have resisted public condemnation of Russia’s actions.
Arab states have remained largely neutral over Russia’s war on Ukraine, with many maintaining close ties to Moscow.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy makes surprise visit to Saudi Arabia
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in the kingdom where Arab leaders are holding a regional summit.#Zelenskyy pic.twitter.com/M1FarBT9FM
— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) May 19, 2023
Saudi Arabia has maintained good relations with Russia and the two countries have co-operated on oil production cuts through Opec+, the Saudi-led oil producers’ alliance.
The Saudis have even offered to mediate between Ukraine and Russia following a prisoner exchange deal they brokered last year.
Saudi Arabia also pledged $400m in aid to Ukraine earlier this year and has voted in favour of United Nations resolutions calling on Russia to end its invasion and refrain from annexing Ukrainian territory.
Al-Assad had been shunned from the group since 2011 after a brutal crackdown on opposition protesters and the subsequent devastating war in Syria.
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