Saudi Arabia will not participate in a peace summit on Ukraine planned in Switzerland this month, sources in Riyadh said on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia does not want want to take part in the June 15-16 conference as Russia will not attend, sources told dpa on condition of anonymity. There was no official comment in Riyadh.
A visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was due to travel to Saudi Arabia this weekend, has been postponed until after the Swiss summit, a diplomatic source at the Ukrainian embassy in Riyadh said Sunday.
Zelensky was due to arrive Saturday in the Saudi port city of Jeddah for a short visit to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the monarchy’s de facto ruler, to drum up support for the Swiss talks, dpa learnt earlier this week.
Switzerland has invited around 160 countries to the event to discuss possible ways to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine more than two years ago, has not received an invitation.
Saudi Arabia has tried to maintain a neutral stance in the Ukraine war.
The oil-rich kingdom, a traditional ally of the United States, also maintains good ties with Moscow, and has repeatedly offered to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
Last August, Saudi Arabia hosted international security talks on Ukraine.
In May last year, Zelensky attended an annual Arab League summit also held in Saudi Arabia.