Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday and said he held a “very productive meeting” with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“There is a strategic security arrangement that we are actively developing across three key areas,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “The first is the export of Ukrainian security expertise and capabilities in air defense. The second is energy cooperation, which makes Ukraine more resilient in this difficult time. The third is the area of food security.”
Accompanied by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and national security adviser Rustem Umerov, it was Zelenskyy’s second visit to Saudi Arabia in weeks. “Today, we are advancing our agreements with Saudi Arabia in the areas of security, energy, and infrastructure,” he said, thanking Saudi partners for “substantive cooperation.”
Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran and the resulting Iranian drone strikes on US allies across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Ukraine has stepped up diplomacy in the Gulf. Kyiv is offering its hard-earned anti-drone expertise to Gulf states in return for financial, military and diplomatic support in its fight against Russia. Zelenskyy stressed the importance of mutual strengthening as Russia seeks to restore diplomatic standing internationally.
Miami G20: will Vladimir Putin attend?
Reuters reported that Russia had accepted an invitation to the G20 summit the US is hosting in Miami in December. “As a member of the G20, Russia has been invited to all working-level meetings to date,” a State Department spokesperson said, adding that President Donald Trump had been clear Russia was welcome to attend.
Whether Russia will send President Vladimir Putin in person remains unclear. Putin has not attended a G20 summit since 2019 — first because of COVID-19 and then due to diplomatic isolation after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine — though he did travel to Anchorage, Alaska, to meet US President Trump on US territory in August 2025. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, “President Putin may go to Miami as a member of the G20, or he may not go… Or another Russian representative may go.”
Trump said Putin’s attendance would be “helpful” and called Russia’s expulsion from the G8 a mistake, though he added he doubted Putin would come.
Ukraine and the EU: Merz rules out immediate accession
Closer to Europe, Kyiv won approval for a €90 billion EU loan after Hungary dropped its veto following the electoral defeat of Viktor Orban. Zelenskyy said the funding is for the army, including air defense purchases, and to prepare for winter and protect Ukraine’s energy system. He reiterated his call for full Ukrainian EU membership: “We are defending common European values. I believe that we deserve full-fledged EU membership.”
European Council chief Antonio Costa praised Ukraine’s wartime reforms but cautioned that accession is a long, difficult process with no set timeframe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisted immediate accession is impossible but urged sustained support. He rejected ideas of cutting Germany’s planned €11.5 billion military aid this year and called for continued bilateral and collective efforts. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is “doubling down on our support to the brave Ukrainian nation.”
Russian economy under strain
Russia’s economy showed signs of strain, contracting by 1.8% in the first two months of 2026, President Putin acknowledged as he demanded measures to arrest the slowdown. The Central Bank cut its key rate by 50 basis points to 14.5% after earlier forecasts of modest growth. Official inflation is just over 5%, but many Russians feel the impact of years of war in rising everyday costs.
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia’s oil industry have disrupted production and internet-dependent sectors, even as higher oil demand from Strait of Hormuz disruptions has offered some relief. Central Bank governor Elvira Nabiullina warned the Middle East conflict remains an uncertainty that could worsen Russia’s economic outlook.
Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap and frontline problems
Russia and Ukraine concluded a prisoner exchange of 193 captured soldiers each, Zelenskyy confirmed. The Russian Defense Ministry said released Russian servicemen remained in Belarus; the swap was mediated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Separately, two senior Ukrainian officers were reportedly removed after falsifying battlefield reports and failing to ensure supplies reached frontline troops east of the Oskil river near Kupiansk. The General Staff said the commanders “lost a number of positions and made mistakes in sending supplies to soldiers.” Images circulated by relatives highlighted severe shortages and malnutrition among troops; some units reportedly went days without food. The army acknowledged logistical problems in a sector where Russians target Ukrainian supply and evacuation drones. “Everything is done by drone,” a spokesman said, noting Russians focus on intercepting food, ammunition and fuel.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko