President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on the Arab League to help protect ‘our people’ and the Ukrainian Muslim community amid Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has attended an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia to seek support for his country in the face of Russia’s invasion, as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed his readiness to mediate in the war between Moscow and Kyiv.
Speaking at the event on Friday, Zelenskyy, in his trademark green military-inspired outfit, told the audience that he hoped “most of us are here for the sake of peace and justice”.
"Unlike our adversary, we do not have missiles. We don't have as many killer drones as Iran has, and we have less air force. Even if we don't have much firepower, we continue to stand our ground because we have the truth on our side, he added.
Zelenskyy continued by saying that he wished to leave "a noble call to all of you to help protect our people, including [the] Ukrainian Muslim community".
The head of the Crimean Tatar community, a Turkic subgroup of Sunni Muslims who are native to the Crimean Peninsula, Mustafa Dzhemilev, was also there.
Zelenskyy also emphasised the significance of Ukraine's relations with the Arab world in the areas of business and education.
Russia and Saudi Arabia have cooperatively reduced oil output through OPEC+, the Saudi-led group of oil producers, and have maintained positive ties.
Following a prisoner swap arrangement arranged by Riyadh last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has once again offered to intercede between Ukraine and Russia.
In his opening remarks, the crown prince stated that the kingdom was "ready to reaffirm its readiness to continue mediating efforts between Russia and Ukraine, and to support all international efforts aimed at resolving the crisis politically in a way that contributes to achieving security."
Zelenskyy stated that "we already have a positive experience with Saudi Arabia regarding the release of our people captured by Russia."
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