UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy accused some Arab leaders of ignoring the horrors of Russia’s invasion of his country during a speech Friday at an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia.
Zelenskyy arrived in Jeddah this morning after being invited by Saudi Arabia to the bloc’s meeting. According to an Arab League official, the Ukrainian president was invited by Saudi Arabia and not by the league itself.
This summit also marks the return of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was suspended from the League in 2011 over Syria’s crackdown on protests that triggered a bloody civil war more than 500,000 people dead and millions more displaced.
Syria & Russia
In February 2022, Assad made his position as a staunch Russian ally known after he praised Russia on its invasion of Ukraine – claiming it was a “correction of history” and a “restoration of balance”.
Additionally, Syria was one of only five countries that voted against a United Nations’ condemning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the war Syria has publicly supported the invasion. The country’s Chamber of Industry built a massive billboard showing Putin in military attire next to the words “Victory for Russia” in March 2022 and placed it in one of the main squares of the Syrian capital.
Regional capitals had gradually been warming to Assad as he has held onto power and clawed back lost territory with crucial support from Iran and Russia.
Diplomatic activity between the Arab League and Syria picked up after a deadly earthquake struck the country and Turkey on February 6.
A decision in March by Saudi Arabia and Damascus backer Iran to resume ties has also shifted the Middle Eastern political landscape.
Turning a ‘blind eye’
“Unfortunately, there are some in the world and here, among you, who turn a blind eye to those cages and illegal annexations,” Zelenskyy told summit attendees, urging them to “take an honest look” at the war.
Zelenskyy highlighted how the war in Ukraine has affected Muslims in the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
“Crimea was the first to suffer under the Russian occupation and until now most of those who are subjected to repression in occupied Crimea are Muslims,” he said.
Zelenskyy also thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for supporting Ukraine’s “territorial integrity”, and called for unity “in saving people from the cages of Russian prison.”
The visit seals Assad’s dramatic return to the Arab fold, a development championed by host Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf power the United Arab Emirates – despite reservations from other Arab leaders.
Zelenskyy flew to Saudi Arabia on a French government plane arriving from Poland today, the French ambassador to Saudi Arabia said on Twitter.
With additional reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill
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