diff --git a/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.hosted/src/com/oracle/svm/hosted/jdk/JDKInitializationFeature.java b/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.hosted/src/com/oracle/svm/hosted/jdk/JDKInitializationFeature.java
index bb86216030bc..ab5d52b015af 100644
--- a/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.hosted/src/com/oracle/svm/hosted/jdk/JDKInitializationFeature.java
+++ b/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.hosted/src/com/oracle/svm/hosted/jdk/JDKInitializationFeature.java
@@ -73,6 +73,14 @@ public void afterRegistration(AfterRegistrationAccess access) {
         rci.initializeAtBuildTime("jdk.nio", JDK_CLASS_REASON);
         rci.initializeAtBuildTime("jdk.vm.ci", "Native Image classes are always initialized at build time");
         rci.initializeAtBuildTime("jdk.xml", JDK_CLASS_REASON);
+        /*
+         * The XML classes have cyclic class initializer dependencies, and class initialization can
+         * deadlock/fail when initialization is started at the "wrong part" of the cycle.
+         * Force-initializing the correct class of the cycle here, in addition to the
+         * "whole package" initialization above, breaks the cycle because it triggers immediate
+         * initilalization here before the static analysis is started.
+         */
+        rci.initializeAtBuildTime("jdk.xml.internal.JdkXmlUtils", JDK_CLASS_REASON);
 
         rci.initializeAtBuildTime("sun.invoke", JDK_CLASS_REASON);
         rci.initializeAtBuildTime("sun.launcher", JDK_CLASS_REASON);