Saudi Arabian King forced to walk off plane due to escalator malfunction

An escalator suddenly got stuck, forcing Saudi Arabia's King Salman to walk off the plane as he arrived in Moscow, starting a four-day visit to Russia.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman arrived in Moscow on October 4, starting a four-day visit to Russia. This is the first time a Saudi Arabian king has officially visited Russia,ReutersWhile getting off the plane, the escalator being used suddenly stopped, forcing King Salman to walk down.

King Salman will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin today, focusing on the world oil market and differences over Iran and the Syrian crisis. Russia and Saudi Arabia are both major oil exporters in the world.

The visit reflects the increasingly close ties between Russia and Saudi Arabia, partly driven by a shared need to stem the decline in global oil prices. The two countries helped OPEC and other oil-producing nations reach a deal to cut supply in late March 2018.

However, the two countries back opposite sides in the Syrian civil war. Saudi Arabia supports the opposition while Russia supports Syrian government forces. This puts Russia on the same side as Iran, Saudi Arabia's rival in the Gulf.

According to VNE