Russian Prez, Saudi Prince discuss Kyiv, Gaza conflicts

Riyadh, December 6

Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and immediately began hastily arranged talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on oil, Gaza and Ukraine. It was not immediately clear what Putin, who has rarely left Russia since the start of the Ukraine war, intended to raise specifically about oil or geopolitics in a meeting with the Crown Prince of the world’s largest crude exporter.

The meeting with MbS, as the prince is widely known, comes after a fall in oil prices despite a pledge by OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, to further cut output. Their next meeting should take place in Moscow, Putin said, adding, “Nothing can prevent the development of our friendly relations.”

Earlier in the day, Putin met UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and discussed Israel-Hamas conflict besides Ukraine. “Our relations, largely due to your position, have reached an unprecedentedly high level,” Putin told him. — Reuters