Saudi Arabia offers US$400 million humanitarian aid to Ukraine

MOSCOW: The Saudi Arabian government will provide US$400 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, reported Sputnik.

The announcement followed the phone conversation between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held earlier on Saturday.

"The president (Zelenskyy) also expressed his thanks and appreciation to HRH (his royal highness) for the Saudi leadership's decision to offer an additional humanitarian aid package for Ukraine in the amount of (US$400 million) which will contribute to alleviating the suffering of Ukrainian citizens in the wake of the crisis," the ministry said in a statement on Twitter.

According to the statement, Salman emphasised "the Kingdom's position of supporting everything that will contribute to de-escalation, and the Kingdom's readiness to continue the efforts of mediation".

Zelenskyy, for his part, thanked Salman for Riyadh's readiness to continue mediation efforts aimed at the resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have already delivered several packages of humanitarian aid to Ukrainians who had fled to Europe.

-- BERNAMA