President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Saudi Arabia on June 1 to mobilize support for the global peace summit in Switzerland next month, the German news agency DPA reported on May 30, citing an undisclosed diplomatic source at the Ukrainian embassy in Riyadh.
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.
The Ukrainian president will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the monarchy's de facto ruler, and other senior officials during the visit to the port city of Jeddah, the source said.
The previous meeting between Zelensky and bin Salman was held in February. The parties discussed the implementation of Ukraine's peace formula, among other topics.
The peace summit will be held on June 15-16 in the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland. Some 90 countries have confirmed their participation in the event, according to Zelensky.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
