"Today we are advancing our agreements with Saudi Arabia in the areas of security, energy and infrastructure. It is important that the strengthening is mutual," Zelensky wrote on the X 24 network.
As Radio Free Europe reports, Zelensky's visit comes almost a month after Kiev and Riyadh signed a defense cooperation agreement, at a time when waves of repeated retaliatory attacks from Iran have targeted civilian and energy infrastructure across the Middle East.
Having secured a series of bilateral agreements with European states since the first Shahed drone strikes in the Gulf, including joint drone production with Germany, Ukraine is seeking to transfer its battle-tested technologies and military experience to the region.
Shahed drone technology, which originated in Iran, has long been the backbone of Russia's domestic drone production, after Tehran supplied Moscow with military equipment and technical know-how during the early years of its war against Ukraine.
Since then, Russia has often simultaneously launched around 100 Shahed drones towards Ukraine.
In response, Kiev has developed cost-effective interceptor drones, claiming that the technology allows it to neutralize around 90 percent of incoming aircraft.
Both Tehran and Moscow have publicly expressed skepticism about the benefits that Ukrainian support for Gulf countries could bring, with the Iranian envoy to Ukraine describing such assistance as “nothing more than a joke and a demonstrative gesture.”
US President Donald Trump said Zelensky was the last person he would ask for help in Washington's military efforts regarding Iran, despite reports that the United States (US) had held talks with Ukraine on the issue.
A few days before Zelensky's latest visit to Saudi Arabia, Reuters, citing five sources familiar with the matter, reported that the US had presented Ukrainian drones at its key air base in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, on its own front lines, Ukraine continues to suffer deadly Russian airstrikes, which have occurred almost daily over the past week.
According to regional governor Serhiy Lysak, an attack on Ukraine's large southern port city of Odessa killed a married couple, both 75 years old, and injured 17 others today.
An Odessa resident told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service that she was covered in blood after the explosion blew out a window and frame in her apartment.
"The explosion threw the window and frame right at me... Everything was falling. I was terrified," she said at the scene.
Separately, Moscow and Kiev announced that 193 Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war were exchanged today.
Zelensky said that among those who returned to Ukraine were soldiers, border guards and police officers who had been wounded or were facing criminal charges in Russia.
Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets told Radio Free Europe's Ukrainian Service that the returnees were detained in the Russian republic of Chechnya.
Lubinets added that most of them were not officially confirmed as prisoners of war by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and that one of the people was listed as missing.
