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The prince wants Saudi Arabia to be a middleman in peace talks. Ukraine’s leader said they’d discussed “steps and conditions needed to end the war.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met on Monday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler. Credit… Pool photo by Ludovic Marin President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, working to repair his strained relationship with the United States and secure a favorable deal to end the war with Russia, met on Monday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Zelensky wrote on X that his discussions with Prince Mohammed, the de facto Saudi leader, who has sought to take a central role on the world’s diplomatic stage, were “good” and that he was “grateful” for the crown prince’s “wise perspective on global affairs and support for Ukraine.” Mr. Zelensky added that it was “especially important to hear words of confidence in Ukraine’s future.”
Their meeting came ahead of talks planned for Tuesday between Ukrainian and U.S. officials in the oil-rich Gulf state.
Mr. Zelensky, who traveled to the seaside Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, wrote that he and the crown prince “had a detailed discussion on the steps and conditions needed to end the war and secure a reliable and lasting peace.”
Mr. Zelensky said he had “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 did not offer specifics.
Once shunned internationally because of accusations of human rights abuses that he has denied, Prince Mohammed has positioned his country as a middleman in efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Last year, Saudi Arabia played a pivotal role in a complex U.S.-Russia prisoner swap, and President Trump has suggested it could be the site of a possible meeting between him and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
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