Putin goes to Saudi Arabia to 'create peace' in the Gulf?

Putin meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid growing unrest in the Middle East. Photo: AFP

The meeting between King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman comes after attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities that Riyadh and the US have blamed on Iran - an ally of Moscow.

Oil will be the “main topic of discussion” among the leaders, according to Russian political analyst Fydor Lukyanov, as a deal between the 24 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) expires next spring.

Russia is not a member of OPEC, the group led by Saudi Arabia, but Moscow has worked closely with the group to limit supply and push up prices after a 2014 slump that hit the Russian economy hard.

Moscow and Riyadh - a traditional ally of Washington - have warmed rapidly in recent years, notably with King Salman's first visit to Russia in October 2017.

A year later, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was criticized after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Türkiye, Mr. Putin approached and shook hands with the crown prince at a G20 summit, attracting much comment.

In an interview with Arabic-language television channels ahead of his visit, Putin praised his good relations with the Saudi king and crown prince. “We will definitely cooperate with Saudi Arabia and other partners and friends in the Arab world… to reduce to zero any attempts to destabilize the oil market,” he said in the interview broadcast on October 13.

“The role of peacemaking”

Analyst Lukyanov said Moscow – which has longer-standing ties with Iran as well as new links with Saudi Arabia – could “play the role of peacemaker” as tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia continue to rise.

Those tensions escalated last month, following attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities that halved the kingdom's crude output and sent oil markets into turmoil.

Yemen's Huthi rebels have claimed responsibility, but US officials have blamed Iran and said the rebels did not have the range or accuracy to attack the facilities.

Tehran has denied involvement and warned of “total war” if there is an attack on its territory.

Russia has attempted to mediate between the two sides - promising to supply missiles to Riyadh for defense, while warning against "hasty conclusions" regarding Iran's involvement.

Last week an Iranian oil tanker was attacked, suspected to have been fired from missiles off the coast of Saudi Arabia, sparking fears of a new conflict.

“To the extent of Russia’s capabilities, we will do everything possible to create the necessary conditions for a positive dynamic” to ease tensions, Putin said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for an attack on its oil facility at Abqaiq last month, an allegation Tehran denied. Photo: AFP

Syria issue

Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said the Syrian conflict was also on the agenda of the leaders' discussion on October 14.

Russia and Iran are allies in support of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, while Saudi Arabia supports the opposition. But “it is important for Russia that an Arab country participates in the political settlement in Syria,” Lukyanov said.

So far, he said, “only three non-Arab countries” – Türkiye, Russia and Iran – have come forward to host the talks.

On the business side, according to Ushakov, the visit is expected to yield about 30 agreements and contracts. About 10 of these documents - in the fields of high technology, energy and infrastructure - will be signed by the Russian Sovereign Fund, worth about $2 billion.

In October 2017, Russia and Saudi Arabia also signed a memorandum of understanding paving the way for Riyadh to purchase Moscow's S-400 air defense missile systems.

However, the deal never materialized, as Saudi Arabia later opted to purchase a US system.

After Saudi Arabia, President Vladimir Putin will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on October 15 to meet with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Hoang Bach