Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday where he said he held a “very productive meeting” with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“There is a strategic security arrangement that we are actively developing across three key areas,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
“The first is the export of Ukrainian security expertise and capabilities in air defense. The second is energy cooperation, which makes Ukraine more resilient in this difficult time. The third is the area of food security,” he added.
For Zelenskyy, who is being accompanied by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and national security adviser Rustem Umerov, it’s a second visit to Saudia Arabia in a matter of weeks.
“Today, we are advancing our agreements with Saudi Arabia in the areas of security, energy, and infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said, adding that he appreciated the “substantive cooperation” between the two countries.
ConflictsUkraine
Zelenskyy visits Saudi Arabia, Putin weighs G20 attendance
Matt Ford with Reuters, AFP, dpa
04/24/2026April 24, 2026
Russian President Putin “may or not may not” attend the G20 in Miami in December, says the Kremlin. Meanwhile, after securing an EU loan, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy continued his diplomatic offensive in Saudi Arabia.
Image: President Of Ukraine/APA Images/ZUMA/picture alliance
Advertisement
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday where he said he held a “very productive meeting” with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“There is a strategic security arrangement that we are actively developing across three key areas,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
“The first is the export of Ukrainian security expertise and capabilities in air defense. The second is energy cooperation, which makes Ukraine more resilient in this difficult time. The third is the area of food security,” he added.
For Zelenskyy, who is being accompanied by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and national security adviser Rustem Umerov, it’s a second visit to Saudia Arabia in a matter of weeks.
“Today, we are advancing our agreements with Saudi Arabia in the areas of security, energy, and infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said, adding that he appreciated the “substantive cooperation” between the two countries.
Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran and the resulting Iranian drone strikes on US allies across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Ukraine has launched a diplomatic offensive in the region, offering Gulf states its hard-earned expertise in anti-drone warfare in return for financial, military and diplomatic support in its own fight against the ongoing Russian invasion.
“It is important that the strengthening is mutual,” said Zelenskyy, especially since Russia is also looking to restore its diplomatic standing globally — with the helpful of a sympathetic United States.
Miami G20: will Vladimir Putin attend?
The Reuters news agency reported on Friday, citing a US official, that Russia had accepted an invitation to the annual Group of 20 (G20) meeting which Washington is hosting in Miami, Florida, in December.
“As a member of the G20, Russia has been invited to all working-level meetings to date,” a State Department spokesperson said on Thursday. “President [Donald] Trump has been clear that Russia is welcome to attend all G20 meetings as the United States focuses on delivering a successful and productive summit.”
Whether Russia would be represented by President Vladimir Putin in person, however, is another question.
Putin has not attended a G20 summit since 2019 due first to the COVID-19 pandemic and then to his diplomatic isolation following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But he did travel to Anchorage, Alaska, to meet US President Trump on US territory in August 2025.
Next time in Moscow — Trump and Putin agree to keep talking
Translate This Article
