White House welcomes Saudi Arabian delegation’s visit to Kyiv
John Kirby (Photo:EUTERS/Leah Millis)
The White House has welcomed a visit made by Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister and senior Saudi humanitarian and energy officials to the Ukrainian capital city Kyiv, U.S. National Security Council spokesman at the White House John Kirby said at a press briefing on Feb. 27.
“This was the first ministerial visit by an Arab state to Kyiv since the war began,” Kirby noted.
“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.
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.
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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