Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, has stated that the leaders of the Arab countries turn a blind eye to the aggression of Ukraine and the war it started, writes the BBC.
On Friday, the 19th of May, Zelensky participated in the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia. Of all the league members, only Syria has openly supported Russia. Others, on the other hand, have tried to maintain good relations with Moscow, and the President of Ukraine indicated that certain countries should evaluate their ties with Russia. He said:
“Unfortunately, there are some in the world and here among you who turn a blind eye to those cages and illegal annexations.”
Zelensky reminded the meeting participants that his country is currently defending itself against colonists and imperialists, thus reminding the Arab countries of their historical experience.
Saudi Arabia is trying to balance on the edge of a knife – on the one hand, it supports the UN resolution on the withdrawal of the Russian army from the territory of Ukraine and has promised humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the amount of 400 million dollars. On the other hand,
Saudi Arabia has not joined the sanctions against Russia
and is trying to maintain a neutral position.
Bashar al-Assad, the leader of Syria, which was only recently re-admitted to the Arab League, said at the summit that the region had a great historical opportunity to transform itself without foreign interference.
Zelensky also mentioned Iran, which is not a member of the Arab League, and blamed it for the supply of drones to Russia. Iran denies supplying military equipment to the aggressor.
From Saudi Arabia, Zelenskis will go to the G7 summit in Japan on Sunday, the 21st of May. There, he will participate in the meetings of the leaders of the G7 countries, and a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan is also planned. The summit was opened on Friday, the 19th of May, and countries have already announced additional sanctions against Russia.
Read also: Britain to ban the import of diamonds from Russia