KYIV/DUBAI: UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.
During the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to supporting efforts for a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict and continuing initiatives to ease its humanitarian impact, state news agency WAM reported.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday he had arrived in the United Arab Emirates for a visit with a “large humanitarian program,” ahead of an expected meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky posted a video of him getting off the plane in UAE and holding talks with officials.
“An official visit with the First Lady to the United Arab Emirates,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
“The priority is to bring even more of our people home from captivity. As well as investment and economic partnership. A large humanitarian program,” he added.
Official visit to the United Arab Emirates together with the First Lady @ZelenskaUA.
Our top priority is bringing even more of our people home from captivity.
We will also focus on investments and economic partnership, as well as a large-scale humanitarian program. pic.twitter.com/rlVBT38TIV— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 16, 2025
He said this week that he planned to visit the country – as well as Turkiye and Saudi Arabia – in the coming days.
But he said on Friday that he had no plans to meet with Russian or US officials there.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, and first lady Olena Zelenska were welcomed to UAE by Reem Al-Hashimy, the minister of State for International Cooperation. (X: @ZelenskyyUa)
Moscow and Washington are preparing for a summit between their two leaders, with Europe and Kyiv worried they will try to settle the three-year war in Ukraine without them.
The UAE has been an important mediator between Russia and Ukraine, helping with prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children from Russia, throughout the war.
