News Feed

Media: Saudi Arabia plans to snub Ukraine's global peace summit

2 min read
Media: Saudi Arabia plans to snub Ukraine's global peace summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during Zelensky's visit to Saudi Arabia on Feb. 27, 2024. (Ukraine's Presidential Office)

Saudi Arabia does not plan to be present at the Global Peace Summit to support Ukraine because Russia will not be there, German news agency DPA reported on June 2, citing diplomatic sources.

Diplomatic sources also told the agency that President Volodymyr Zelensky's planned visit to Saudi Arabia on June 1 to to rally support has been postponed until after the summit. The peace summit will be held on June 15-16 in the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland.

There has been no official confirmation of Saudi Arabia's decision.

Saudi Arabia hosted an international summit on the peace formula in August 2023. The country has also played an important role in negotiating prisoner exchanges with Russia, allowing Ukraine to achieve a major exchange involving nearly 300 people in September 2022.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia has maintained close economic ties with Russia, which have strengthened following the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Russia's subsequent economic isolation from the West.

Ukraine hopes the summit will address several key areas, such as energy security, the exchange of captives, the return of deported children, global food security, and other topics.

Earlier on June 2, Zelensky said that more than 100 countries and international organizations are set to attend, though he also accused China of "working hard" to prevent countries from attending.

Avatar
The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Read more
News Feed

In a Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia on the morning of March 21, a father and mother of two girls were killed, and 6 people injured, including two girls aged 11 and 15, Fedorov said. The girls are daughters of the parents killed in the strike, Ukraine's State Emergency Service later said.

Russian citizens Yurii Korzhavin and Lidiya Korzhavina were removed from the U.S. sanctions list on March 20, along with other individuals and entities linked to Russia. The Korzhavins were sanctioned in 2024 for their ties to the Russian transport and logistics company Elfor TL.

Show More