Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Fifa President Gianni Infantino at the 2018 World Cup in Moscow. AP
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Fifa President Gianni Infantino at the 2018 World Cup in Moscow. AP
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Fifa President Gianni Infantino at the 2018 World Cup in Moscow. AP
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Fifa President Gianni Infantino at the 2018 World Cup in Moscow. AP

Gulf

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin

The kingdom in September brokered a deal to allow 10 foreign prisoners of war held by Russia to be released

Mariam Nihal

January 31, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Saudi Press Agency reported.

During the phone call, the leaders discussed issues of common interest and reviewed bilateral relations, it said.

In September, the kingdom brokered an arrangement that allowed 10 foreign prisoners of war held by Russia to be released.

The released prisoners were from the US, UK, Morocco, Sweden and Croatia.

At the time, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the Crown Prince for his mediation on Twitter.

“Had a cordial conversation with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Thanked him for facilitating the release of foreign citizens, involvement in mediation and the leading role of Saudi Arabia in the region,” he said.

“We discussed Ukraine’s energy security, postwar recovery and joint investment projects.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the Crown Prince’s mediation efforts showcased the country's commitment to global peace and security.

“The kingdom is grateful for the co-operation and goodwill showed by Ukraine and Russia towards the Crown Prince’s mediation efforts to secure the release of POWs from five nations. We believe that constructive dialogue is the best path forward to ending this conflict,” he said.

On Saturday, Russia’s Defence Ministry accused the Ukrainian army of striking a hospital in the eastern Lugansk region, which left 14 dead and wounded 24 others.

A former Nato chief has warned Mr Putin that an attack on any member of the nuclear-armed alliance would pose “an existential risk to the Russian motherland”.

Bucha's Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk visited Washington on Monday to demand that the world hold Russia accountable for the atrocities perpetrated in the Ukrainian city during its March occupation.

US President Joe Biden said on Monday that he would not send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to help its defence against Russia's invasion.

A tank, seen left, fires a round in Soledar, a town in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Reuters
A tank, seen left, fires a round in Soledar, a town in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Reuters
Tank fire in Soledar, Donetsk. Reuters
Tank fire in Soledar, Donetsk. Reuters
Firefighters work to put out a blaze at a Kharkiv fireworks storage site after it was struck by a Russian missile. Getty
Firefighters work to put out a blaze at a Kharkiv fireworks storage site after it was struck by a Russian missile. Getty
Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, visits his troops on the frontline in Soledar, Donetsk. Reuters
Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, visits his troops on the frontline in Soledar, Donetsk. Reuters
A Ukrainian flag attached to a tank flutters in the wind in Bakhmut. Reuters
A Ukrainian flag attached to a tank flutters in the wind in Bakhmut. Reuters
A specialist from an emergency crew works on a residential building in Donetsk that was damaged in recent shelling. Reuters
A specialist from an emergency crew works on a residential building in Donetsk that was damaged in recent shelling. Reuters
A missile fragment left by shelling in Russian-controlled Donetsk. AP
A missile fragment left by shelling in Russian-controlled Donetsk. AP
Residents remove debris and carry their belongings out of a building destroyed by recent shelling in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine. Reuters
Residents remove debris and carry their belongings out of a building destroyed by recent shelling in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine. Reuters
Ukrainian forces fire an anti-aircraft weapon as Russia's attack on the frontline city of Bakhmut continues. Reuters
Ukrainian forces fire an anti-aircraft weapon as Russia's attack on the frontline city of Bakhmut continues. Reuters
A car drives past a destroyed building purported to have been used as temporary accommodation for Russian soldiers, dozens of whom were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike in Makiivka, Russian-controlled Ukraine. Reuters
A car drives past a destroyed building purported to have been used as temporary accommodation for Russian soldiers, dozens of whom were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike in Makiivka, Russian-controlled Ukraine. Reuters
The site of a temporary barracks for Russian soldiers in Makiivka, which was destroyed in a Ukrainian missile attack. Reuters
The site of a temporary barracks for Russian soldiers in Makiivka, which was destroyed in a Ukrainian missile attack. Reuters
A Ukrainian serviceman carries his injured comrade from the battlefield to a hospital in the Donetsk region. AP
A Ukrainian serviceman carries his injured comrade from the battlefield to a hospital in the Donetsk region. AP
Smoke rises after shelling in Soledar, the site of heavy battles with Russian forces in the Donetsk region. AP
Smoke rises after shelling in Soledar, the site of heavy battles with Russian forces in the Donetsk region. AP
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Updated: January 31, 2023, 9:44 AM`
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