Saudi crown prince discusses Ukraine conflict and OPEC with Russia's Vladimir Putin
April 16, 2022, 6:49 pm

Saudi crown prince discusses Ukraine conflict and OPEC with Russia's Vladimir Putin

Mohammed bin Salman-Crown Prince/Facebook page

The Arab News reported, according to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin via telephone on Saturday (Apr 16).

During their call, the two discussed the ongoing situations in Ukraine and Yemen, with the crown prince reaffirming the Kingdom’s support in finding a political solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

According to a Kremlin statement, Putin and the crown prince “gave a positive assessment” of joint work in the OPEC+ format.

OPEC cut its forecast for growth in world oil demand in 2022 on April 12, citing the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising inflation as crude prices soar and the resurgence of the omicron coronavirus variant in China.

Russian president Vladimir Putin (File photo: Facebook page)

On Friday (Apr 15), Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a daily briefing: “Russian troops and forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic have taken control of the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in the city of Mariupol as a result of a successful offensive."

Ukraine's prime minister and finance officials will visit Washington next week

According to the Ministry, Russian forces have destroyed 132 aircraft, 105 helicopters, 245 anti-aircraft missile systems, 456 unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,213 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 249 multiple rocket launchers, 966 field artillery and mortars, as well as 2,110 units of special military vehicles of the Ukrainian forces.

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.