Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud traveled to Moscow, where he met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. The visit comes after his visit to Ukraine, and as Riyadh makes a bid to mediate the ongoing war between Moscow and Kyiv.
Prince Faisal and Lavrov also discussed bilateral trade, oil market stability, and a possible return of Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad to the Arab League.
The Saudi foreign minister reiterated his country’s hope for a political solution to the war. The Kingdom is ready to mediate to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, he said at a press briefing after the meeting.
The Saudi chief diplomat said the meeting addressed the importance of deep coordination between the Kingdom and Russia in the energy markets and his country’s unflinching commitment to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies agreement.
Lavrov stated that energy cooperation between the two countries was not affected by the war, despite the West’s attempt to sanction Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Gulf Arab states have resisted US pressure to isolate Russia, and tanker tracking data indicates the UAE is importing increased volumes of Russian crude. It is not clear, however, when the UAE, one of the world’s largest oil producers, began importing from Russia.
The United States had accused Saudi Arabia of siding with Russia when OPEC+ decided to cut oil production over Washington’s objection. The US-Saudi relationship notably soured afterwards.
On Feb. 26, the foreign minister made a landmark visit to Kyiv where he met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and signed $400 million of humanitarian aid to the country.
The trip was the first official visit for any Saudi foreign minister to Kyiv in more than 30 years, and since Ukraine’s independence in 1991. It is also the most senior for any Arab delegation since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. The agreement included $100 million in humanitarian aid and $300 million in oil derivatives as a grant from the kingdom. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries took a neutral stance amid Western sanctions placed on Russia for its war on Ukraine.
