Zelenskiy arrives in Saudi Arabia seeking security cooperation


Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives to attend an informal European leaders' summit in Ayia Napa, Cyprus April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo

KYIV, April 24 (Reuters) - ⁠Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday arrived ⁠in Jeddah on his second visit to Saudi ‌Arabia in a month, as Kyiv tries to bolster security cooperation and advertise its battle-tested technology in the Middle East ​amid the Iran war.

"Yesterday, at a ⁠meeting with European ⁠leaders, we secured financial guarantees for our resilience. Today, ⁠we ‌are advancing our agreements with Saudi Arabia in the areas of security, energy, and ⁠infrastructure," Zelenskiy said on X upon arrival.

He ​added that ‌he plans to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed ⁠bin Salman.

Zelenskiy ​himself did not mention the city, but Saudi state TV said he arrived in Jeddah.

During his visit ⁠to Saudi Arabia in late May, ​Kyiv and Riyadh reached an agreement on defence cooperation that Zelenskiy described as laying a vast foundation for ⁠future contracts.

In the wake of the Iran war, Ukraine secured deals with several Middle East partners as it offered technologies and expertise in downing Iranian ​long-range attack drones.

Zelenskiy later praised ⁠Ukraine's assistance as delivering results in the Middle ​East, and also offered Kyiv's expertise ‌to help restore free navigation ​in the Strait of Hormuz.

(Reporting by Ahmed Elimam, Yuliia Dysa, Editing by William Maclean)

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