Putin, Saudi Crown Prince express optimism about cooperation with OPEC+

The Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave a “positive assessment” of their cooperation within the “OPEC +” alliance to achieve stability in the global oil market.

The Kremlin indicated in a statement that the phone call, Saturday, the second for Putin and Prince Mohammed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, came at the initiative of Saudi Arabia.

The call also discussed the problems in Ukraine and Yemen, according to the statement, though it did not go into detail.

In a statement, Saudi Arabia started the crown prince had received a phone conversation with Putin, but the statement did not mention “OPEC +” or energy cooperation. T

hey “discussed bilateral relations that bring the two countries together and strategies to deepen them in numerous spheres,” according to the Saudi statement.

“The Kingdom’s support for initiatives that lead to a political solution to the issue in Ukraine and achieve security and stability,” the Crown Prince said.

Saudi Arabia and other major Persian Gulf producers have so far resisted US efforts to expand production, despite rising prices due to the Ukraine situation and concerns about possible supply disruptions.

Putin’s last announced phone call with the Saudi crown prince was on March 3, according to the Kremlin.

On Friday, Prince Mohammed had a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and also spoke about Ukraine, according to Chinese state television, which said that Beijing was seeking “high-level” cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the areas of energy, trade, and advanced technology.