June 13, 2025
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of an Arab summit on Friday, where he was set to address leaders who have remained largely neutral on Russia's invasion of his country, including many who maintain warm ties with Moscow.
Among those in attendance is Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has been welcomed back into the Arab fold 12 years after Syria was suspended at the start of its civil war. Russian air strikes on civilian areas brought devastation to both countries, but in Syria they helped Assad cling to power.
The odd pairing of the two leaders in the same forum is the result of a recent flurry of diplomacy by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is pursuing regional rapprochement with the same vigor he previously brought to the oil-rich kingdom's confrontation with its archrival Iran.
In recent months, Saudi Arabia has restored diplomatic ties with Iran, is ending the kingdom’s yearslong war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen and led the push for Syria’s return to the Arab League. The Saudis have even offered to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, following a prisoner exchange deal they brokered last year.
Saudi state TV broadcast footage shows Zelenskyy arriving at the airport in his trademark brown fatigues and being greeted on the tarmac by Saudi officials. In a tweet, he said he hopes to "enhance bilateral relations and Ukraine’s ties with the Arab world.”
The Ukrainian leader said he would address the summit in Jeddah and discuss the treatment of Muslim Tatars living under Russian occupation in the Crimean peninsula. The visit comes amid a whirlwind of international travel by the Ukrainian leader, but until now he has mostly visited allied countries.
Saudi Arabia pledged $400 million in aid to Ukraine earlier this year and has voted in favor of U.N. resolutions calling on Russia to end its invasion and refrain from annexing Ukrainian territory. But it has resisted U.S. pressure to increase oil production in order to squeeze Russia's revenues, and like other Arab states has maintained warm ties with Moscow.
