400 million dollars... Saudi aid to Ukraine

Saudi Arabia signed agreements worth $400 million with Ukraine on Sunday after the kingdom's foreign minister made a surprise visit to Kiev, in a move praised by Washington.

Unexpected visit to Ukraine

Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak, his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and others. He was the highest ranking Saudi official to visit Ukraine in 30 years.

400 million dollars in support for Ukraine

The prince told reporters that the agreements stipulate how Ukraine will spend about $410 million in humanitarian aid that the Saudi government authorized in October.

As part of that, Saudi Arabia said it would fund $300 million worth of oil products for Ukraine as a grant.

US reaction

The United States welcomed Prince Farhan's visit, describing it as an "important step."

Sunday's trip was also the first to Ukraine by a high-ranking official from an Arab country since Vladimir Putin's invasion began in February 2022.

Yermak said, "We treat it as an important sign of support for our country, especially these days, amid the one-year mark of large-scale Russian aggression." "This dialogue and this meeting are very important to us."

Respect the rules of international law

Yermak said that Ukrainian officials discussed with Prince Faisal respecting the rules of international law and the UN Statute. He said: "Our position on this is unified."

Saudi Arabia was one of 141 countries that last week voted in favor of a non-binding UN resolution calling for Moscow's withdrawal from Ukraine.

Saudi support for Ukraine

The two sides also talked about helping the former Saudi Arabia in conducting prisoner exchanges with Russia and prospects for additional exchanges, to strengthen the positions of Kiev and Riyadh in the Global South, including Africa.

Yermak said Ukraine hoped Riyadh would support at least some of the provisions of Zelensky's November peace plan.