On Sunday, February 26, the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia visited Ukraine. This indicates that relations between Kiev and Riyadh are reaching a new level.
Mikhail Yakubovich, an orientalist from Germany, told Channel 24 about this. He recalled that Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud brought the news about the provision of assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $400 million.
As Yakubovich noted, relations between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia began to take shape back in the mid-1990s. Subsequently, after the visit of Leonid Kuchma to this country, relations between the states revived, in particular, in some defense projects.
Contacts of Ukraine with Saudi Arabia
According to the orientalist, relations with Saudi Arabia should be considered in 2 planes.
- Direct contacts.
- Contacts through Ukraine's Western allies.
Yakubovich noted that the White House positively assessed the visit of the head of the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry to Ukraine.
“This is very good, because now Ukraine can take advantage of these opportunities opening up for it in the Arab world,” the orientalist said.
Mikhail Yakubovich spoke about the prospects for Ukraine in the Arab world: watch the video
Why a visit to Ukraine is important for the Saudis
The visit of the representative of Saudi Arabia is positive not only for Ukraine.
“This is important, first of all, for Saudi Arabia itself. After all , their foreign minister came to the historical center of events ,” Yakubovich emphasized.
He added that the position of the elites of the Middle East leaned towards Ukraine gradually. And the military successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine played a big role in this.
Mikhail Yakubovich
Orientalist from Germany
If in March-April 2022 almost all Arab media were very skeptical about the prospects of Ukraine, then later they saw that there are results and Ukraine will be a powerful player.
Yakubovich noted that, despite the good relations between the Saudis and Russia, contacts with the Americans and US allies weigh much more for them.
Saudi mediation ambitions
Recently, the media space has stopped talking about the possible mediation of Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Russian war against Ukraine.
Of course, now Erdogan is not up to it – the situation with earthquakes in Turkey, preparations for elections and other issues have come to the fore.
In addition, the West began to push Erdogan aside and put him in his place. In particular, the reason was his steps that he is taking to prevent NATO expansion,” Yakubovich said.
At the same time, Riyadh is actively involved in the process.
“Saudi Arabia, to a certain extent, wants to take on an intermediary role. They already had experience in organizing the exchange of prisoners,” the orientalist noted.
What is known about the exchange of prisoners with the participation of the Saudis
In September 2022, Russia and Ukraine carried out a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war, during which 215 soldiers were handed over to Kyiv, including the commanders of the Azov regiment. Moscow was given 55 occupiers and Putin's godfather Viktor Medvedchuk.
As part of the exchange, Russia also returned 10 captured foreigners. They were exchanged through the personal mediation of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
Also, as the orientalist noted, the country can play a certain role in expanding the grain deal, having negotiations with the Russian side.
Example for other Arab countries
The visit of the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia to Kyiv can make a good impression on other countries of the Arab world.
“This will be an example for the United Arab Emirates, as well as for Kuwait, Bahrain, even Oman,” Yakubovich said.
He added that during the voting at the UN General Assembly, almost all the countries of the Persian Gulf supported the “peace formula” of Ukraine.
This means that Russian positions in the Middle East have significantly weakened over the year. Although there is still often talk about the “Ukrainian crisis”, but in many media the events in Ukraine are directly called Russia's war against the Ukrainians, – said the orientalist.
He added that Saudi Arabia and Ukraine are on the right track. However, one should not hope for quick success. The process of deepening relations between countries can be long and complicated.
The visit of the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia to Kyiv: what is known
- President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. This is the first official visit of the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
- The Saudi Foreign Minister stressed that the Kingdom would like to do everything possible to reduce the severity of hostilities. He noted that any war ends with a dialogue and a negotiating table.
- During the visit, two documents were signed at the Office of the President, formalizing the provision of a $400 million assistance package to Ukraine. Of these, $100 million will go to humanitarian aid, and another $300 to oil products.
