Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at the moment, as the war continues to rage and Kyiv seeks to reclaim territory through a counter-offensive.
Neither the Jeddah gathering - which is expected to begin on Friday, with the main discussions on Saturday and Sunday - nor the peace summit would involve Russia, officials say.
Saudi Arabia, along with Turkey, played a mediation role in a major prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia last September.
Zelenskiy attended an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia in May this year, at which Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed his readiness to mediate in the war.
A second senior EU official said Saudi Arabia reached "into parts of the world where (Ukraine's) classical allies would not get to as easily".
Persons:
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Leo Varadkar, Clodagh, Zhovkva, Zelenskiy, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jake Sullivan, Matt Miller, there's, Dmitry Peskov, Olena Harmash, Carien du Plessis, Gabriela Baczynska, Daphne Psaledakis, Laurie Chen, Martin Pollard, Jon Boyle
Organizations:
Ireland's, REUTERS, Global, Reuters, European Commission, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Russia, Arab, Saudi Crown, EU, . National, U.S . State, Thomson
Locations:
Horodetskyi, Ukraine, Kyiv, Jeddah, China, BRUSSELS, LONDON, Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Moscow, Copenhagen, Riyadh, United States, U.S