Saudi Crown Prince MBS, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy discuss Russian war in call ahead of G20

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the current status of the Russian war in Ukraine over a phone call on Saturday.

Zelenskyy thanked the Crown Prince on behalf of the war-torn country for hosting a meeting of national security advisers in Jeddah on August 5 and for the Kingdom’s efforts towards resolving the conflict.

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The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, following up on their talks held during the May 19 Arab League summit in Jeddah, where Zelenskyy was an attendee.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that MBS, as the Crown Prince is widely known, affirmed Saudi Arabia’s “keenness and support for all international efforts” towards ending the war in Ukraine.

The phone conversation was held ahead of the ongoing G20 summit in New Delhi, an international conference that MBS is attending alongside world leaders, including UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, US President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australia’s Prime Minster Anthony Albanese, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

During the two-day summit that began in New Delhi on Saturday, the conflict in Ukraine is expected to be a key point of discussion among world leaders who are divided on the issue.

Various reports claim that Western nations are pushing for a note condemning Russia in the G20 Leaders’ Declaration, to be issued at the end of the summit, while others seek to focus on broader economic and trade issues.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is attending the summit in place of President Vladimir Putin who has an active, international arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes.

Lavrov had previously said he would block the final declaration at the G20 summit unless it reflected Russia’s stance on Ukraine.

The invasion that started with Russian forces storming the former Soviet nation bordering Belarus, Russia and Crimea, has killed thousands and displaced millions.

The repercussions are being felt globally through a spike in food and oil prices and a surge in immigrants from Ukraine and Russia, seeking safer havens.

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