The leak reveals that Saudi Arabia agreed to pay Russia over 2 billion euros under a contract signed in 2021 involving companies that were repeatedly sanctioned, both before and after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has been exporting arms to countries including Saudi Arabia, bolstering its economy after a barrage of sanctions followed its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In fact, the Saudi Press Agency’s announcement that the kingdom would invest $600bn was based on the royal palace’s readout of a Wednesday phone call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This is Trump’s first phone call with a foreign leader since his inauguration earlier this week.
Trump has had a close relationship with the crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, even as his real estate company does major deals with oil-rich kingdom.
Addressing executives at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump minced no words as he accused the Saudis and OPEC of sustaining Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine by maintaining high oil prices.
President Trump held his first official call with a foreign leader since being sworn in for his second term with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, a controversial figure who Trump on
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday from Damascus that his country was engaged in an active dialogue with Europe and the U.S. to help lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria.
President Donald Trump is emphasizing that targeting Russia's oil revenue is the best way to get Moscow to end its nearly three-year war against Ukraine.
China is responding to Trump's energy-centric executive actions with a global diplomatic blitz. China courts the Middle East without push back from Washington.
Saudi Arabia "needs to punch at (its) weight" on the global stage given its growing institutional presence and the return of Donald Trump, the kingdom's finance minister told AFP in Davos. "We are a key player in the world,
Mongolia expects to sign green hydrogen and renewable energy agreements with Saudi Arabia worth several billion dollars over the next few months and is in talks with the United Arab Emirates for similar investments,