Putin talks with Saudi crown prince dominated by oil and geopolitics

An unexpected meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin lasted three hours on Wednesday. During the meeting, Putin reportedly discussed the situation in the Middle East and the collaboration between OPEC and other countries on oil markets.

There is still a lot of mystery surrounding the Kremlin leader’s hastily planned trip to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, on which four Russian fighter planes escorted him. It was not immediately evident what topic was urgent for Putin to undertake such a rare journey overseas.

The meeting between Vladimir Putin and Mohammed bin Salman, often known as MBS, took place after oil prices dropped despite a promise made by OPEC+, which is a coalition consisting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, to reduce production further.

As he exited from his vehicle in the Saudi capital, MbS was seen welcoming Putin with grins and a vigorous handshake; the scene was captured on camera.

“We talked again about cooperation in OPEC+,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by Russian news outlets. “We talked about it again.”

“The parties agree that our countries bear a great responsibility for interaction to maintain the international energy market at the proper level, in a stable, predictable state,” according to Peskov.

The two countries that export the most oil globally are Saudi Arabia and Russia, which control one-fifth of the oil pumped daily.

“That helped remove tensions in Middle East,” the Saudi state news agency SPA reported, praising the cooperative coordination between the two nations. MbS hailed the collaboration.

“We share many interests and many issues that we are working on together for the benefit of Russia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and the world as well,” the crown prince was cited as saying by the international news agency.

The Russian Ministry of Defense presented a picture of Vladimir Putin’s Ilyushin-96 aircraft, accompanied by Sukhoi-35S fighter planes, as it traveled from Russia to the United Arab Emirates, the first destination of his tour.

IN RIYADH OR MOSCOW?
During his visit to Abu Dhabi, Vladimir Putin stated that he planned to provide President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan with an update on the situation in Ukraine.

An official from the United Arab Emirates stated to Reuters that “a number of regional and international developments” were discussed during Putin’s visit, which allowed for an exchange of perspectives.

“The UAE is committed to continuous efforts with its international partners in working to reduce escalation and find prospects for a peaceful political solution,” stated the government spokesperson.

During his discussions with MbS, Putin stated that a visit to Russia that was supposed to take place by the prince had been abruptly altered, which resulted in the prince traveling to Riyadh.

“We waited for you in Moscow,” Putin said to MbS with a smile

“I know that events forced a correction to those plans but as I have already said, nothing can prevent the development of our friendly relations.”

Putin stated, “However, the subsequent gathering should occur in Moscow.”

Through the assistance of a Russian interpreter, the crown prince expressed his readiness to carry out the auction above.

According to Putin, “then we are in agreement.”

Because of the arrest order that was issued against Putin in March by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to deport Ukrainian minors to Russia, Putin’s ability to travel outside of the country was severely restricted.

In addition to denying the allegation, which is considered a war crime, Moscow referred to the court’s action as absurd and stated that it was legally void in any event because Russia is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

Putin can go to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates without the threat of being detained under the International Criminal Court’s warrant because neither of these countries is a court member.