Zelensky arrived in Riyadh shortly after the speaker of the Russian State Duma

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi arrived on Tuesday on a visit to Saudi Arabia, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom.

In his Telegram channel, Zelensky reported that during a “substantial and sincere” conversation, he discussed with the crown prince the points of the “Peace Formula” promoted by Kiev – the plan to end the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine. “The leadership of Saudi Arabia can help find fair solutions,” Zelensky noted.

Among the other topics of the negotiations, assistance was mentioned in the issue of the return of Ukrainian servicemen from Russian captivity.

Muhammad bin Salman strives to position himself as a potential mediator in efforts aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, Saudi Arabia remains closely connected with Russia in the energy sphere within the framework of the OPEC+ group, the Associated Press agency notes.

A day earlier, on February 26, the crown prince received the speaker of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav Volodin and other officials from Moscow in Riyadh. The Saudi leadership noted that Prince Muhammad discussed “topics of common interest” with Volodin.

• The “Peace Formula” is a ten-point document designed to find ways to end the war and create the conditions for a security regime under which further wars in Europe would be impossible. Volodymyr Zelensky presented it in November 2022, a few months after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow declared that this document is unacceptable – among other things, it provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine.