Saudi crown prince meets Zelensky

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky late Monday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.

The two leaders held formal talks at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, reviewing aspects of the bilateral relations and discussing the latest developments and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the report said.

The Saudi crown prince affirmed the Kingdom's commitment to supporting all international efforts to resolve the crisis and achieve peace, it said.

For his part, Zelensky expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the Kingdom's efforts, highlighting its pivotal role in the Middle East and beyond, the report said.

Zelensky arrived in the Saudi coastal city earlier Monday, ahead of the US-Ukraine talks.

"On Monday, I am scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with the Crown Prince (Mohammed bin Salman). After that, my team will remain in Saudi Arabia to work with our American partners," Zelensky was quoted by the Kiev-based Ukrainian News Agency as saying on Friday.

Also on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Jeddah and met with the Saudi crown prince.

According to a previous statement by the US State Department, Rubio will stay in Jeddah from Monday to Wednesday and meet with a Ukrainian delegation "to advance the President (Donald Trump)'s goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war."

The upcoming US-Ukraine meeting, reportedly scheduled for Tuesday, follows a rare shouting match at the White House between Trump and Zelensky in late February, which led to the cancellation of a bilateral minerals agreement and the subsequent suspension of US military aid to Ukraine.