Zelensky discusses peace formula, bilateral cooperation with Saudi crown prince.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a meeting during Zelensky's visit to Saudi Arabia where they discussed the implementation of Ukraine's peace formula, among other topics, the Presidential Office reported on Feb.
27. Saudi Arabia hosted an international summit on the peace formula in August 2023. The country has also played an important role in negotiating prisoner exchanges with Russia, allowing Ukraine to achieve a major exchange involving nearly 300 people in September 2022.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia has maintained close economic ties with Russia, which have strengthened following the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Russia's subsequent economic isolation from much of the West. During the Feb.
27 meeting, Zelensky thanked the crown prince for "valuable advice on speeding up the process of implementing a number of (the peace formula) points," according to the Presidential Office. Ukraine's 10-point peace formula, supported by many Western allies, includes the restoration of the country's territorial integrity, a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, and judging those responsible for war crimes.
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Over 160 countries will be invited to discuss the peace formula and create a joint document on what needs to be done to restore the country's sovereignty. Zelensky reportedly discussed the preparations for the summit with bin Salman as well as "possible steps for the real restoration of security for Ukraine, all of Europe, and all the peoples of the world." "We are equally interested in ensuring global stability," Zelensky said after the meeting, as cited by the Presidential Office.
The leaders also focused on potential bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia in the economic and technological spheres. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Saudi Arabia to meet the crown prince in December last year during his first trip to the region since 2019. Zelensky traveled to Saudi Arabia for the first time in May 2023, meeting the crown prince and appealing to Arab leaders to support Ukraine's peace plan.
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