Ukraine and Saudi Arabia have agreed to deepen cooperation in agricultural trade and investment. During talks between Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotskyi, and Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral trade and launching new joint investment initiatives.
Ukraine emphasized that Saudi Arabia is one of its key food importers and an important logistics hub for the Middle East. Despite disruptions to Black Sea shipping, Ukraine remains committed to supplying grain and other agricultural products. Officials also noted that Russian attacks on port infrastructure have increased Ukrainian agricultural export logistics costs by approximately US$45 per tonne, while alternative routes cannot fully replace maritime export capacity.
Investment cooperation was another major topic of discussion. The two countries plan to organize a joint business seminar involving private-sector companies to showcase investment opportunities in port infrastructure, grain terminals, agricultural processing, and food production. They also discussed expanding the presence of Ukrainian businesses in the Saudi market, particularly poultry producers and veterinary pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Following the meeting, both governments agreed to prepare a Memorandum of Cooperation, strengthen direct business-to-business contacts, and jointly develop new trade and investment projects. Expanding ties with one of the Middle East's largest food importers is expected to help diversify Ukraine's agricultural exports and reinforce the country's position in global food markets.