Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Jeddah on Friday and described a “very productive meeting” with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Zelenskyy said on social media that the leaders are developing a strategic security arrangement focused on three areas: exporting Ukrainian air-defense expertise and capabilities, expanding energy cooperation to bolster Ukraine’s resilience, and strengthening food security.
Traveling with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and national security adviser Rustem Umerov, this marked Zelenskyy’s second trip to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. He thanked Saudi partners for “substantive cooperation” and said the visit was advancing agreements on security, energy and infrastructure.
Kyiv has intensified diplomacy in the Gulf since the recent escalation involving the US, Israel and Iran and subsequent Iranian drone strikes across the region, including against Saudi targets. Ukraine is offering its hard-won anti-drone experience to Gulf states in exchange for financial, military and diplomatic backing in its war with Russia. Zelenskyy framed the cooperation as mutual strengthening as Russia seeks to rebuild international ties.
G20 in Miami: Russia invited, Putin’s presence uncertain
Reuters reported that Russia accepted an invitation to the G20 summit the United States will host in Miami this December. A State Department spokesperson noted that, as a G20 member, Russia has been invited to working-level meetings and said President Trump had indicated Russia was welcome to attend.
Whether President Vladimir Putin will travel to Miami remains unresolved. Putin has not attended a G20 leaders’ summit since 2019—first because of COVID-19, then because of diplomatic isolation after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine—though he did meet US President Donald Trump on US soil in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “President Putin may go to Miami as a member of the G20, or he may not go… Or another Russian representative may go.”
Trump called Putin’s possible attendance “helpful,” criticized Russia’s expulsion from the G8 as a mistake, but conceded he doubted Putin would come in person.
EU support and accession prospects
Closer to Europe, Kyiv secured approval for a €90 billion EU loan after Hungary lifted its veto following Viktor Orban’s electoral defeat. Zelenskyy said the funding would go toward the armed forces, including air defense purchases, winter preparations, and protecting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. He repeated his push for full EU membership, saying, “We are defending common European values. I believe that we deserve full-fledged EU membership.”
European Council President Antonio Costa praised Ukraine’s wartime reforms but warned that accession is a lengthy, difficult process without a fixed timetable. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said immediate accession is off the table, while urging sustained support and opposing cuts to Germany’s planned €11.5 billion military aid this year. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is “doubling down on our support to the brave Ukrainian nation.”
Strains on the Russian economy
Russia’s economy showed signs of stress, contracting 1.8% in the first two months of 2026, a decline President Putin acknowledged as he called for measures to halt the slowdown. The Central Bank reduced its key rate by 50 basis points to 14.5% after earlier forecasts had predicted modest growth. Official inflation sits just above 5%, but many Russians report rising everyday costs after years of war.
Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia’s oil sector and on internet-dependent infrastructure have disrupted production, even as higher oil demand resulting from Strait of Hormuz tensions has provided some relief. Central Bank governor Elvira Nabiullina cautioned that the Middle East conflict remains a risk that could further worsen Russia’s economic outlook.
Prisoner swap and frontline supply problems
Zelenskyy confirmed a prisoner exchange in which 193 captured soldiers were returned by each side. The Russian Defense Ministry said the released Russian servicemen remained in Belarus. The swap was mediated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Separately, Kyiv reportedly dismissed two senior officers over falsified battlefield reports and failures to get supplies to frontline troops east of the Oskil river near Kupiansk. The General Staff said the commanders had “lost a number of positions and made mistakes in sending supplies to soldiers.” Relatives circulated images showing severe shortages and signs of malnutrition among troops; some units reportedly went days without food. The army acknowledged logistical problems in a sector where Russian forces focus on intercepting Ukrainian supply and evacuation drones. “Everything is done by drone,” a spokesman said, noting that Russians concentrate efforts on seizing food, ammunition and fuel.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko