Kiev [Ukraine], February 28: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks with Crown Prince HRH Mohammed bin Salman.
High on the agenda is Zelenky's 10-point peace plan, based on a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine, reparations and punishment of war criminals, as well as the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and their return under mediation by Riyadh.
"The Kingdom's leadership has already contributed to the release of our people. I am confident that this meeting will also yield results," Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The two leaders are also going to discuss economic cooperation and "Saudi Arabia's involvement in Ukraine's reconstruction," according to Zelensky.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than two years. For its campaign, Kiev has received massive international support mostly from Western allies in the form of weapons deliveries, humanitarian aid as well as sanctions against Russia.
Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, however, while supporting Kiev, also continues to maintain ties with Russia. This has made the country a go-between in the war.
In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Riyadh in a rare trip abroad.
Last August, the kingdom hosted a Ukraine conference in the coastal city of Jeddah, where envoys from several countries agreed to continue "international consultations" to build common ground for peace. But little seems to have been achieved on that front since then, with Russian and Ukrainian forces essentially engaged in gruelling trench warfare for months.
Most recently, the Russians were able to record some successes, particularly the takeover of the eastern city of Avdiivka. Ukrainian forces withdrew from the strategically important industrial city in the Donetsk region shortly before the war entered into its third year on February 24.
Source: Qatar Tribune
