Ukrainian President to Visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is welcomed upon his arrival in the UAE. (AFP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is welcomed upon his arrival in the UAE. (AFP)
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Ukrainian President to Visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is welcomed upon his arrival in the UAE. (AFP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is welcomed upon his arrival in the UAE. (AFP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, one day after a meeting there between top Russian and US officials, the Ukrainian leader’s spokesman told AFP.

Zelenskyy had announced the trip along with stops the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Türkiye last week without giving dates, adding he had no plans to meet Russian or US officials.

Sergiy Nykyforov said Zelenskyy would visit Saudi Arabia with his wife as part of a “long-planned” official visit.

His trip will come one day after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets US officials as part of what the Kremlin says are efforts to repair Moscow’s ties with Washington.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed on Monday in Saudi Arabia where he met with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

Earlier on Monday, Zelenskyy was received by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi for talks on bilateral relations.

Sheikh Mohamed hoped Zelenskyy’s visit would further boost bilateral relations across various sectors, reported the UAE’s state news agency (WAM).   

The leaders discussed various aspects of cooperation, particularly in the fields of the economy, investment, development, renewable energy, and food security, as well as other areas aligned with both countries’ developmental priorities.   

Sheikh Mohamed reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to fostering effective international partnerships across different sectors to achieve shared progress and prosperity.   

He underlined the UAE’s consistent approach of supporting peaceful solutions to crises, underscoring that development can only be achieved in a stable environment. He reiterated the UAE’s commitment to backing all efforts aimed at reaching a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict and continuing initiatives to mitigate its humanitarian impact.   

He thanked Zelenskyy for the Ukrainian government’s cooperation in supporting the UAE’s mediation efforts in the exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia. He noted that this collaboration reflects confidence in the UAE’s role in alleviating the humanitarian consequences of the conflict.   

For his part, Zelenskyy reaffirmed his commitment to bolstering cooperation between Ukraine and the UAE, highlighting the numerous opportunities available across various sectors. He expressed his appreciation to Sheikh Mohamed for the UAE’s sustained diplomatic efforts in facilitating prisoner exchanges and its humanitarian focus on the crisis.   

Zelenskyy traveled to the UAE late Sunday as momentum grows for potential peace talks ending Moscow's war on the country.



Saudi Arabia to Host Talks between US, Russian, Ukrainian Officials on Monday

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures as he attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures as he attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2025. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia to Host Talks between US, Russian, Ukrainian Officials on Monday

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures as he attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures as he attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2025. (Reuters)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday Ukrainian experts would be present at upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia involving the United States and Russia, but will not be in the same room as Russia, as a diplomatic push to end the war intensifies.

Russian and US experts are due to discuss ways to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea at talks on a possible peace settlement in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the Kremlin said.

"There will be technical teams present there," Zelenskiy said during a visit to Norway.

"I understand that the structure is the following: there will be a meeting of Ukraine and America and then some shuttle diplomacy, as our American colleagues said, America with Russia," he told a press conference with Norway's premier.

Zelenskiy said on Wednesday Kyiv would draw up a list of facilities that could be subject to a partial ceasefire brokered by Washington. That list could include not only energy, but also rail and port infrastructure, he said.

Negotiators from Moscow and the US will meet Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser Sergei Ushakov told Russian news agencies.

US President Donald Trump and Zelenskiy agreed on Wednesday to work together to end Russia's war with Ukraine, in what the White House described as a "fantastic" one-hour phone call, their first conversation since their Oval Office shouting match that resulted in a short-term cutoff in US military aid and intelligence to Kyiv.

Trump said on Thursday the United States will sign a minerals and natural resources deal with Ukraine shortly and that his efforts to achieve a peace deal for the country were going "pretty well" after his talks this week with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

Ukraine and the US said this month they had agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine's critical mineral resources, which Trump sees as a means to pay back the United States for its assistance to Kyiv.