In Saudi Arabia, Zelensky sought the support of the Arab League

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged Arab leaders meeting for a summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to support his peace initiative to end the war in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, who is making his first trip to Saudi Arabia as head of state, and will then travel to the G7 summit in Japan, said in a speech that each of the delegates would be presented with a ten-point peace plan prepared by Kiev. Will received the text of the plan, and asked them to work with Ukraine directly, without intermediaries.

The Ukrainian president said, “I invite everyone who respects peace to join the implementation of the peace formula and thus reduce enmity, war, suffering and evil.”

“Russia is weak, we defeated her when she had more weapons in her hands. Her aggression comes not from strength, but from the understanding that the time of empires is over.”

The president said that the Ukrainian peace formula could benefit others, for example through the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukraine, a major exporter, to continue deliveries including to Arab League countries.

The United Nations and Turkey negotiated the deal last July to contribute to the fight against a world food crisis exacerbated by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The deal, which has been renewed several times, has just been extended for two months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday.

In addition to food security, the Ukrainian peace plan requires Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukrainian territory, calls for the release of all Ukrainian prisoners of war, and restores security at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. demands.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told the summit that his kingdom was ready to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.

(Reporting by Olena Harmsch, French edition edited by Nathan Vifflin, Jean-Stéphane Brosse)