Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah stressed on Sunday the Kingdom’s support to international efforts aimed at reaching a political solution to the Ukrainian-Russian crisis.
Prince Faisal held official talks in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
They tackled bilateral relations between their countries and opportunities to develop them. They also addressed regional and international developments of common interest.
Prince Faisal conveyed to Zelenskyy the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
He underscored Riyadh’s keenness and support of all international efforts aimed at resolving the Ukrainian-Russian crisis through political means.
He also underlined Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to help ease the ensuing humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict.
The meeting was attended by Advisor at the Royal Court and King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Supervisor General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, Saudi Ambassador to Ukraine Mohammed bin Suleiman Al-Mesher Al-Jebreen, and Director General of the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Dawood.
Prince Faisal later held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba for talks on the latest developments in the crisis.
He stressed Saudi Arabia’s support for efforts that would de-escalate the conflict, protect civilians and reach a negotiated political solution.
They discussed opportunities to bolster bilateral cooperation and ways to develop relations in several fields.
Later on Sunday, Prince Faisal and head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak attended the signing ceremony of an agreement and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Kingdom and Ukraine, worth up to $400 million.
The signing is in line with Saudi Arabia’s pledge in October 2022 to provide an additional humanitarian aid package to Ukraine. The announcement was made at the time during a telephone call between Crown Prince Mohammed and Zelenskyy.
The agreement includes a joint cooperation program for providing humanitarian assistance from the Kingdom to Ukraine worth $100 million. It was co-signed by Dr. Al-Rabeeah and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov.
The MoU also calls for providing $300 million worth of oil derivatives as a grant from Saudi Arabia to Ukraine through the SFD. The MoU was signed by Al-Marshad and Ukraine’s Minister of Energy German Galushchenko.
