Ukrainian president arrives in Saudi Arabia for talks with crown prince

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“Today, we are advancing our agreements with Saudi Arabia in the areas of security, energy and infrastructure,” Zelenskyy wrote on the US social media company X, adding that the cooperation is “mutual.”

Zelenskyy added that during a meeting with European leaders on Thursday, Ukraine “secured financial guarantees” for Kyiv’s resilience.

He attended the gathering in Greek Cyprus, where he met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, discussing defense cooperation.

Addressing the European Council meeting, he underlined that Kyiv is now actively working with countries in the Middle East and the Gulf.

“We are preparing cooperation with the Caucasus and talking to other partners,” he added.

In early March, Zelenskyy announced 10-year defense cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar during his Middle East tour, underlining that Ukraine had never had such agreements in the region before.