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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