Ukraine's Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia, meets Crown Prince MBS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has travelled to Saudi Arabia on, Saudi state media reported his latest visit to the Gulf kingdom which has sought to stay neutral in Ukraine's war with Russia.

Zelenskyy landed in the Red Sea city of Jeddah for the unannounced trip and was greeted by Saudi officials, including the national security adviser and ambassador to Kiev, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

The Saudi foreign ministry posted pictures on X of Zelenskyy meeting Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, though details of their discussion were not immediately available.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter, works closely with Moscow on oil policy and has touted its ties to both Moscow and Kiev since Russia sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, positioning itself as a possible mediator in the war.

Zelenskyy has travelled the world in recent weeks to rally support and attendance for a peace summit scheduled to take place in Switzerland at the weekend.

Zelenskyy has convinced many officials to attend after in-person visits.

Promoting peace plan

Saudi Arabia has not yet confirmed whether it will take part in the summit, diplomats in the Gulf region told AFP last week.

It will take place as Russia has made some gains on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, with Kiev's forces struggling with a lack of troops and ammunition

In September 2022, Riyadh played an unexpected role in brokering the release of foreign fighters detained in Ukraine, including two from the United States and five from Britain.

In August last year, Saudi Arabia hosted talks on the war that drew representatives of more than 40 countries, excluding Russia.

Saudi officials said at the time that the meeting, which included officials from China and Brazil, demonstrated the benefits of its "multi-polar" approach to foreign policy.

Zelenskyy most recently visited Saudi Arabia in February, when he held talks with Prince Mohammed to promote his peace plan and discuss a potential exchange of prisoners of war.

Saudi Arabia has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in relief to Ukraine, including allocations for Ukrainian refugees who fled to neighbouring countries.