Zelensky arrives in Albania ahead of security conference

Great honor to welcome President @ZelenskyyUa to Tirana.

A pivotal moment for fostering bilateral ties, and standing in solidarity with Ukraine in its heroic fight against Russia’s aggression.

🇦🇱🤝🇺🇦#WeStandwithUkraine pic.twitter.com/ngGan0Mdev

— Igli Hasani (@IgliHasani) February 27, 2024

Zelenskyy has been crisscrossing the globe in recent weeks to rally support for his beleaguered country, as Ukraine's armed forces face a critical shortage of ammunition and struggle to hold back Russia's military advances on the ground.

In Tirana on February 28, Zelenskyy is to meet with several leaders from across the region during the "Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit".

"It was one of the first countries to send military aid to Ukraine in the wake of the Russian aggression - guns, ammunition, mine-resistant vehicles - and it's currently one of the top ten per capita in terms of its support for Ukraine and security assistance," Blinken said.

Before arriving in Tirana, the Ukrainian president touched down in Saudi Arabia, where he sought to promote his peace plan and discuss potential prisoner-of-war exchanges.

Saudi Arabia maintains relations with both Russia and Ukraine and has mediated between the warring parties before, including a deal struck in September 2022 that saw the release of more than 200 captive Ukrainians.