Saudi Arabia announces $400 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine

Saudi Arabia has announced $400 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine as the country's foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top Ukrainian officials on February 26 in Kyiv.

The visit was the first by an official Saudi delegation to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1993. 

According to Ukrainian presidential office head Andriy Yermak, Saudi Arabia will provide Ukraine with $100 million in humanitarian aid and $300 million in oil products.

During the press briefing, Al Saud also added that Saudi Arabia could play more of a role as a third-party mediator for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russia. 

In September 2022, top Ukrainian commanders and foreign volunteers captured by Russia during the battle of Mariupol were released in Saudi Arabia in a top-secret operation.

“We will continue to cooperate with our Ukrainian friends in order to solve the problem of war, as it affects not only Ukraine, it affects the whole world,” said Al Saud.

On February 23, Saudi Arabia voted in favour of a UN resolution that calls Russia to stop “hostilities in Ukraine and calls for the withdrawal of its forces.”