Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) which is the powerhouse for the conservative Islamic school of the Sunni Sect came under the international spotlight as the peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine war are taking place there.
During February and March this year, the Saudi capital was the venue for peace talks for the Russia-Ukraine war and also bilateral talks between the US and Russia, whose formerly tense relationship has improved after US President Donald Trump took office in January this year. In fact, the US side has agreed in principle with many of the demands made by Russia vis-à-vis Ukraine.
It is believed that talks also would take place here in the same venue between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump, aiming to reach a final settlement to the war, though how it could be done without involving Ukraine is not yet clear.
President Trump, who castigated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval Office in front of the world media, has also cautioned President Putin against undermining Ukraine’s position and imposing more conditions for a lasting ceasefire.
Diplomatic headwinds
Many would wonder why a place which is around 3,500 Km away from the war scenario has been chosen for the negotiations among Ukraine, Russia and the United States. But diplomacy is not new to the KSA and its de-facto ruler Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), who is known to have a close friendship with President Trump and President Putin. The KSA also successfully seems to have navigated the diplomatic headwinds that followed the killing of a Saudi journalist at the Saudi consulate in Turkiye a couple of years ago.
The KSA is actively involved in efforts to end the Ukraine war and is also playing a supporting role behind the scenes for resolving the Israel-Hamas dispute. There is a theory that Hamas staged the October 7 attacks to derail moves to establish diplomatic links between the KSA and Israel. If so, they have mostly succeeded as the KSA cannot even think of having normal relations with Israel as the war in Gaza has so far claimed more than 50,000 lives.
Today, Russia, Ukraine, US and the KSA are fully engaged in finding a solution for the Ukraine war, which is now in its fourth year despite a pledge by US President Donald Trump to end it on “Day One” of his second term.
North Korea, a very close ally of China and Russia, has sent thousands of soldiers to fight with the Russian Army against the Ukrainian Army. According to Western intelligence agencies, Chinese military products have been provided to the Russian troops and Iranian Kamikaze drones have been supplied to Moscow to attack targets in Ukraine. Both high-tech and inexpensive drones have been used extensively by both sides to attack targets in each other’s territory.
On the other hand, Ukraine has also received military and financial assistance from European Union (EU) and NATO countries to the tune of US$ 140 billion. Incidentally, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine. Russia has, however, not opposed EU membership for Ukraine. The United States still remains the leading supporter of Ukraine in the international arena, having contributed close to US$ 183 billion in financial aid and weapons.
Healthy relations
The KSA has not spoken in support of either side in this war, in keeping with the stance adopted by much of the Global South, though the Saudi Government voted for Resolution 68/262 supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine at the UN.
MBS has maintained healthy relations with both warring countries. He has enjoyed cordial relations with Republican and Democratic Presidents at the White House. During his first term, Trump’s first foreign visit was to the KSA, not Canada, UK or Israel as is the case with other US Presidents. Former US President Joe Biden, who was under pressure to impose sanctions on the KSA following the journalist’s killing, opted not to do so and in fact, improved bilateral links.
Records indicate that the Saudi Crown Prince has some real world experience in mediation. An American teacher imprisoned in Russia was released and a swap of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia was also successfully completed with the mediation of MBS. Ethiopian and Eritrean peace negotiations also were held in the KSA, adding to the credibility and reputation of MBS. The short-lived truce talks between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) too were held in the KSA. With such achievements under his belt, Crown Prince MBS has won the hearts and minds of top leaders at the White House and the Kremlin.
Saudi Arabia hosted a conference with the participation of 40 countries in the port city of Jeddah in 2023 where the Ukraine War was also on the agenda. The KSA has offered US$ 400 million to Ukraine for agriculture and other purposes, though not for the war effort per se.
President Zelensky was met warmly by the Crown Prince on the eve of the peace talks between the high-ranking officials of Ukraine and the US. President Putin too visited the KSA in 2023 and MBS also made a visit to a major economic conference in the second largest city of Russia which was known earlier as Leningrad and now as St. Petersburg as a special invite of President Putin. The KSA has also funded a number of mosques in Russia.
They have worked together to control the output and fix the price of oil via OPEC+. Saudi Arabia and Russia are leading crude oil producers and they are united on this front as it brings much-needed revenues to their countries. However, Western sanctions imposed in the wake of the Ukraine invasion have affected Russia’s oil sales. It has since found several ways to deal with this issue.
Traditional ally
There are other reasons why President Trump is pushing the KSA as a venue for peace talks. For Washington, the KSA is a dependable and traditional ally in the region, apart from Israel. Washington cannot also ignore China’s attempts to get closer to the Saudi Government. There is also a move to conduct transactions between China and the KSA in Yuan, which the US would not essentially approve. If it happens, the Dollar’s fortunes would be affected.
Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, has developed good working and business relations with the Saudi Government, although both Ivanka and Jared no longer feature prominently in Trump’s inner circle.
The KSA has invested US$ 2 billion in Affinity Partners, an investment firm chaired by Kushner. MBS has promised more investments in the US during the second term of President Trump, who is also heavily involved in integrating the Saudi-led LIV Golf to the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour. He recently held talks in this regard at his sprawling Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, also called the “Winter White House.”
The forthcoming summit between President Putin and President Trump would be keenly watched by a world which is getting weary of the “forever wars” in Ukraine and Gaza. Hopefully, they should be able to work something out.
The writer previously worked for the Russian Embassy in Colombo. He holds a master’s degree from the Moscow University Institute of Foreign Languages.
