Ukraine President Zelenskyy Meets Saudi Arabian Prince, Discusses Steps To End War With Russia

Amid straining relations with the US under Trump administration, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.

The Ukraine President, in a post on C, said that he had a good meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince in Jeddah and said he is "grateful for his wise perspective on global affairs and support for Ukraine." He noted that it was especially important to "hear words of confidence in Ukraine's future."

What The Two Leaders Discussed?

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed both bilateral matters and cooperation with other partners. The post read, "I acknowledged the Crown Prince's efforts in bringing true peace closer. Saudi Arabia provides a crucial platform for diplomacy, and we appreciate this."

Zelensky stated that hoping for practical outcomes as a delegation from Ukraine remains in Jeddah to work with the U.S. team on Tuesday and his country his willing to have constructive talks.

"With the Crown Prince, we had a detailed discussion on the steps and conditions needed to end the war and secure a reliable and lasting peace. I specifically emphasized the issue of the release of prisoners and the return of our children, which could become a key step in building trust in diplomatic efforts. A significant part of the discussion was dedicated to the formats of security guarantees," he said.

Officials from the US and Ukraine will have their first meeting since Zelenskiy's abortive White House meeting last month.

US-Ukraine Relations Strained

In February, Zelensky called off his visit to Saudi Arabia following an extraordinary meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Sergey V. Lavrov to avoid being associated with US-Russian talks on Ukraine..

The US, which has been an important ally of Ukraine, has changed its policy as it wants to end the ongoing conflict between Kyiv and Moscow. The Trump administration has directly engaged with Russia and stopped military assistance along with intelligence sharing with Ukraine. After the disastrous Oval Office incident, the ties between Ukraine-US have hit its lowest point since the war broke out between Kyiv and Moscow.