White House welcomes Saudi Arabian delegation’s visit to Kyiv

John Kirby
John Kirby
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“This was the first ministerial visit by an Arab state to Kyiv since the war began,” Kirby noted.

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“The Saudi initiative is a positive step from the Middle East region, and we hope to see more from our partners over there in the coming months.”

Kirby noted that during the visit, the Saudis and Ukrainians had formalized arrangements for the delivery of $400 million in assistance, including generators and badly needed energy products and supplies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Kyiv on Feb. 26.

Read also: Saudi Foreign Minister visiting Kyiv

This was the first official visit of the foreign minister of the oil-rich Middle Eastern state to Ukraine since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1992.

According to a Ukrainian government press release, President Zelenskyy said the visit was “important evidence support for Ukraine,” coming as it did on the anniversary of the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

"First of all, I want to thank you for supporting peace in Ukraine, our sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is very important for us and our people, our society," Zelesnkyy told the Saudi foreign minister.

During the talks, the sides emphasized the importance of Saudi Arabia's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and paid special attention to the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, the Ukrainian government press release reads.

Read also: Saudi Arabia pledges $400 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine

They also exchanged views on the Saudi side's participation in Ukraine's post-war recovery, as well as its involvement in promising projects in the investment, agricultural and energy sectors, the release said.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine