JEDDAH — Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed on Friday Russia's readiness to participate in resolving the region's crises. In a telegram sent to the Arab Summit being held in Jeddah, Putin stressed his country's keenness to support efforts to resolve crises in Sudan, Libya and Yemen. "We intend to expand multifaceted cooperation with the Arab countries. We will continue to provide all possible assistance for the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," he said. In his opening speech to the summit, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed the importance of resolving the crisis in Ukraine peacefully. "We reaffirm the Kingdom's position supportive of everything that contributes to reducing the severity of the crisis in Ukraine," he said. The Crown Prince also pledged the Kingdom's readiness to continue efforts of mediation between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the summit as a guest of honor. In his address, the Ukrainian president appreciated the Saudi mediation for the release of prisoners of war. Zelensky said that what is happening in his country "is a war, not just a conflict, and that his country did neither choose war nor engage in any hostilities in the territories of other countries."
