War in Ukraine: Zelenskiy accuses ‘some’ Arab countries of ‘turning a blind eye’ to Russian invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday accused “some” Arab countries of “turning a blind eye” to Russia’s invasion of his country, addressing Arab leaders at a summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “Unfortunately, some countries of the world, here among you, turn a blind eye to these illegal prisons and annexations,” the Ukrainian president said, calling on the leaders of the region to “take an honest look” at the war.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is making his first trip to the Middle East since the start of the war in his country, addressed the leaders of the region, much less united in their support for Ukraine than its European and American allies. Host country Saudi Arabia has taken a relatively neutral stance on the conflict, emphasizing the importance of maintaining ties with both Kiev and Moscow.

Syrians loyal to Putin

On the other hand, Bashar al-Assad’s Syria is one of five countries that voted against UN Security Council resolutions calling on Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine. A staunch ally of Moscow, the Syrian president attended his first Arab League summit in more than a decade on Friday after being sidelined from the Arab diplomatic scene for a long time.

During a speech by Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in English, members of the Syrian delegation took off their translator headphones, according to the pro-government Syrian newspaper Al Watan.

Crimean argument

In his speech, the Ukrainian stressed the impact of the war in Ukraine on the Muslims of the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Muslims in the occupied Crimea,” he said.

On Thursday, he changed his military T-shirt to a khaki-colored one, “a special vyshyvanka with an ornament that symbolizes the unity of the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar peoples,” he said. He recalls that “79 years ago, the Soviet government began to deport the Crimean Tatar people. The people they wanted to wipe out. Deprive them of their homes, deprive them of the right to life.

He also thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman for his support for the “territorial integrity of Ukraine” and called for unity “to save people from the cages of Russian prisons.”

Riyadh supported UN Security Council resolutions condemning the Russian invasion, as well as Russia’s announced annexation of territory in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, the Arab world’s largest economy and the world’s largest exporter of crude oil is aligning its oil policy with Moscow, and cutting its production is seen by Washington as “in line” with Russia’s interests.

Saudi mediation in prisoner exchange

However, the kingdom maintains close ties with the United States, its longtime security partner. Last September, Ryad unexpectedly acted as an intermediary, resulting in an exchange of ten prisoners between Moscow and Kiev, including two Americans and five British.

Earlier this year, a Saudi official confirmed that his country was ready to assist in any mediation aimed at ending the conflict, in particular “on important secondary issues that can help reach a political solution.”

In February, Saudi Arabia announced $400 million in aid to Ukraine, of which two-thirds was in the form of oil products and the rest in the form of humanitarian aid, including for Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries.