Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia and addressed leaders including Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad, a pariah in the West and staunch ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy visited the kingdom on Friday en route to the Group of Seven meeting in Japan. He spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and then made a speech at the gathering in Jeddah.
His trip comes as Ukraine prepares a major counteroffensive against Russia. Zelenskyy travels extensively to boost financial, diplomatic and military support for Ukraine as it tries to retake territory occupied by Moscow. Arab countries have opted against sanctioning Russia and most are neutral about the war, if not openly supportive of Putin.
