The Saudi Press Agency reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman praised during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday "the coordination and political work between the two countries that has helped alleviate many tensions in the Middle East." The agency quoted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying, "Today we share many interests and numerous files that we work on together for the benefit of Russia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and the world as well."
Russian news agencies stated that President Vladimir Putin arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday evening, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and was scheduled to discuss oil, Gaza, and Ukraine. During his meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince, Putin remarked, "Thank you for the invitation; we were waiting for you in Moscow, but there were changes in plans," extending an invitation to visit Moscow: "The next meeting should take place in Moscow. Over the past seven years, relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia have reached an unprecedented level thanks to your father, the king. It is certainly important for all of us to exchange views on what is happening in the region."
Putin arrived from Abu Dhabi, where he had earlier held talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Four Russian fighter jets accompanied President Vladimir Putin on his journey to the Middle East in a rare foreign visit where he discusses oil, Gaza, and Ukraine with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The meeting between Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman comes after a decline in oil prices, despite a pledge from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia, known as the OPEC+ alliance, to increase supply cuts. Four Sukhoi-35 fighter jets escorted Putin's aircraft, as shown by the defense ministry flying alongside his Ilyushin-96 as he traveled from Russia to the UAE.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed his "dear" friend in Abu Dhabi, and Emirati fighters also greeted him, displaying the colors of the Russian flag in the air with smoke. Putin told Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, "Our relations, thanks largely to your position, have reached an unprecedented high level." He added, "The UAE is Russia's main trading partner in the Arab world."
The Russian delegation includes senior officials in oil, economics, foreign affairs, space, and nuclear energy. Putin noted that Russia and the UAE cooperate as members of OPEC+, an alliance whose member countries produce more than 40% of the world's oil. He added they would discuss the conflict involving Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, as well as the Ukraine issue.
Russian news agencies reported that Putin arrived in Saudi Arabia after concluding his visit to the UAE for his first face-to-face meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman since October 2019. Putin's last visit to the region was in July 2022 when he met Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran.
It is still unclear whether Putin, who rarely leaves Russia since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, intends to specifically address oil or geopolitical issues with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His visit to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seems to have been expedited just days after a major OPEC+ meeting was postponed. A source had told Reuters that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had plans to visit Moscow. Putin is also scheduled to host his Iranian counterpart Ibrahim Raisi in Moscow on Thursday.
The Kremlin stated that Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will discuss the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, the situation in Syria and Yemen, issues like ensuring stability in the Gulf, as well as oil, while one of Putin's aides mentioned that the Ukraine issue would also be on the agenda for discussions.
Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have enjoyed close relations despite sometimes being ostracized by the West, as their countries together produce one-fifth of the world's oil daily. At the G20 summit in 2018, just two months after journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shook hands and exchanged smiles.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (38 years old) seeks to assert Saudi Arabia's position as a regional power not significantly dependent on the United States, which provides Riyadh with most of its weapons. The United States is the world's leading oil producer. Putin, who sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, claims that Russia is fighting an existential battle with the West and has sought allies in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia amid Western attempts to isolate it.
Both Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Putin (71 years old) want and need to raise oil prices, which are vital for their economies. The question before them is how much burden each of them should bear to keep prices high and how to verify that burden.
**OPEC+ Alliance**
Last month, the OPEC+ alliance postponed its meeting for several days due to disagreements over production levels. The Saudi energy minister stated that OPEC+ also seeks further reassurance from Moscow that it will fulfill its commitment to cut fuel exports. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Russia within the OPEC+ framework have faced difficulties at times; a supply-cutting agreement nearly collapsed in March 2020 when markets were already suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the two countries managed to mend their relationship within weeks, and OPEC+ agreed to record cuts of nearly ten percent of global oil demand to support oil markets.
Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in October, Putin has stated that the conflict results from the failure of U.S. policy in the Middle East and has strengthened his relationships with Arab allies, Iran, and, additionally, Hamas.
