Russia–Saudi Arabia relations (, ) are the bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two countries are referred to as the two petroleum superpowers and account for about a quarter of the world's crude oil production between them.
Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union
The first country to establish full diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd (the name of the Saudi state until 1932) was the Soviet Union.Ismael, Tareq Y., The Communist Movement in the Arab World. New York City: RoutledgeCurzon, 2005. p. 9. The relations began in 1926 as a means for Moscow to stand up to the UK. The first Consul General was Karim Khakimov, a Soviet Muslim of Tatar descent sometimes called the Soviet Lawrence of Arabia, who in February 1926 drove through gunfire from Jeddah to Ibn Saud's residence in the desert to hand over a formal note recognising his status as king. Relations improved further when in June 1926 the Pan-Islamic Congress of Mecca was called to resolve the dispute over control of the holy sites of Mecca and Medina. The Soviet Union, with its 30 million Soviet Muslims, supported Ibn Saud by sending six Soviet Islamic scholars to take part in the congress, contrary to its atheistic ideology. Using the Soviet influence to spread Communist propaganda among Hajj pilgrims was unsuccessful so the diplomatic focus turned to the creation of trade links between Soviet Black Sea ports and Hejaz. Ibn Saud's son Prince Faisal (who became king in 1964) visited the Soviet Union in 1932 during his extensive European trip. King Abdulaziz used Moscow's offer of one million British pounds in financial aid as leverage with London and never accepted the USSR's offer.
However, relations cooled later on; in 1932, the Soviet Muslims were unofficially banned from performing Hajj. Khakimov returned to Jeddah as the Head of Mission in 1935, and tried to renew the relationship, but Moscow was no longer interested in new trade contracts. Joseph Stalin, who was never convinced of the value of the USSR's presence in the Gulf, saw the partnership with King Abdulaziz and political ambitions for the Gulf as disposable political gambits that Moscow thought would enhance relations with the British, whose support the Soviet Union sought against Germany. Khakimov was recalled to Moscow for a routine visit in 1937 and arrested on suspicion of being a spy; he and his colleague Turyakulov fell victim to Stalin's political terror. Turyakulov was executed in October 1937 and Khakimov the following January. King Abdulaziz was outraged at the killing of these two Soviet diplomats whom he considered his friends. Two months after Khakimov's execution American geologists discovered the world's largest deposits of crude oil in Dhahran prompting the Soviet Union to appoint a new head of mission in Jeddah in 1938. King Abdulaziz refused to accept anyone other than Khakimov or Turyakulov and months later broke diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union, accusing Moscow of inciting a revolution in the Muslim world. With the USSR out of the way, Britain and latterly the US took over the development and exploitation of Saudi oil.
Relations were especially strained from 1979, during the Soviet–Afghan War, with Saudi Arabia supporting the Afghan Mujahideen in close cooperation with the United States.
In 1990, relations between Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union were restored after 52 years of breakup. Despite a lack of relations, about 20 Soviet Muslims were allowed to annually make the Hajj from 1946 until 1990 when liberalization allowed thousands of Soviet Muslims to attend.
Saudi Arabia and Russia
In the first 25 years since establishment in 1992, Russian-Saudi relations never developed beyond symbolic visits. Though during Saudi King Salman 2017 visit to Moscow, he did bring a 1,500-strong delegation; however, the Moscow-Riyadh agreement paled in comparison to Saudi arms contracts with the US.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met King Abdullah in Riyadh during a high level delegation visit on 11–12 February 2007.President Vladimir Putin and King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud held talks in Riyadh kremlin.ru, 11 February 2007. It was the first official visit for a Russian leader to the Kingdom. The visit was an opportunity for Moscow to improve its relations with Riyadh regarding various areas, including regional security issues, energy, trade, transportation, scientific cooperation and exchanges. King Abdullah's visit to Russia in 2003, as Crown Prince, was an opening in high level contacts between the countries which did not have diplomatic ties from 1938 until 1990.Putin 1st Russian Leader to Visit Saudis WP, 11 February 2007.
Syrian Civil War, military cooperation
Relations between the two countries became strained during the Syrian Civil War, in which Russia and its ally Iran put their support behind Syria's government and President Bashar al-Assad while Saudi Arabia along with Qatar and Turkey backed insurgents in Syria.Saudi king to make historic visit to Russia The National, 30 September 2017. Saudi Arabia, prior to Russia's direct military intervention in Syria in September 2015, was reported to have sought to use its offer to reduce its oil production in exchange for Russia dropping its support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a proposal that Russia rejected.Saudi Oil Is Seen as Lever to Pry Russian Support From Syria’s Assad NYT, 3 February 2015.
In February 2016, Saudi Arabia offered for the first time to send ground troops to Syria; a Saudi official confirmed that Riyadh had sent warplanes to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, a move considered as preparation for an incursion into Syria and seen as inimical to Russia's as well as Iran's interests.Military moves: Turkey and Saudi Arabia close ranks on Syria Al Arabiya, 17 February 2016.Saudi Arabia offers to send ground troops to Syria to fight Isis The Guardian, 4 February 2017. Russia reacted to the reports with public sarcasm alluding to the Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen.Захарова о планах Эр-Рияда воевать в Сирии: в Йемене всех победили? RIA Novosti, 4 February 2016.
Relations improved significantly in 2017 as Russia's influence in the Middle East rose following military success in Syria as a result of its intervention in the Syrian conflict on the side of the Bashar al-Assad government, on whose removal from power Saudi Arabia had insisted prior.Saudi king’s visit expected to strengthen ties with Russia FT, 4 October 2017.Russia's Putin, Saudi prince praise dialogue on oil, Syria Reuters, 30 May 2017. Military issues were among the topics of discussions held by Vladimir Putin and Saudi defence minister deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Moscow on 30 May 2016.Встреча с преемником наследного принца, министром обороны Саудовской Аравии Мухаммедом бен Сальманом Аль Саудом kremlin.ru, 30 May 2017.Saudi's powerful young royal meets Putin in Russia Al Arabiya, 30 May 2017.
Russia and Saudi Arabia have taken similar approaches to North Africa, strongly supporting the military rule of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Egypt following the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état. Similarly, both Russia and Saudi Arabia have supported Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan National Army in the Second Libyan Civil War. In January 2020, Le Monde reported that Saudi Arabia was helping finance the activities of the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, in supporting Haftar in Libya.
Coordination on oil markets (2016–2022)
In early September 2016, following a meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Saudi Arabia, a leading OPEC member, and non-OPEC Russia agreed to cooperate in world oil markets to tackle a global glut, saying they could limit output in the future and signing a joint statement to this effect.Saudi Arabia, Russia sign oil pact, may limit output in future reuters, 5 September 2016.Meeting with Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud kremlin.ru, 4 September 2016. Later that year, Russia agreed to join OPEC nations′ commitment to reduce oil output, with cuts taking effect from 1 January 2017 to last for six months; Russian president Vladimir Putin and Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, along with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were said to have played a key role in having OPEC rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia set aside differences to make the organization's first deal with non-OPEC Russia in 15 years possible.Russia and Others Join OPEC in Rare, Coordinated Push to Cut Oil Output NYT, 10 December 2016.Exclusive: How Putin, Khamenei and Saudi prince got OPEC deal done Reuters, 1 December 2016.OPEC reaches a deal to cut production The Economist, 3 December 2016. In April 2017, deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman told The Washington Post that the Saudis had been “coordinating [their] oil policies recently” with Moscow in order to convince Russia that Riyadh was a better bet for them than Tehran, the main goal being ″not to have Russia place all its cards in the region behind Iran″.A young prince is reimagining Saudi Arabia. Can he make his vision come true? WP, 20 April 2017.
In May 2017, the two countries agreed to extend the oil production cuts until March 2018.As Their Clout Wanes, Saudi Arabia and Russia Extend Oil Production Cuts NYT, 15 May 2017.Saudi Arabia, Russia push to extend oil output cut until March 2018 Reuters, 15 May 2017.Oil price slides as Opec production cuts fail to impress markets The Guardian, 25 May 2016.
On 5 March 2020, OPEC cut its total production of oil, and called upon OPEC+ participants, including Russia, to do the same. Russia rejected the demand to cut oil production the following day, marking the end of the unofficial partnership with OPEC. Russia was also described as having been disappointed in the lack of Saudi investment in Russia during the past few years. Saudi Arabia consequently boosted production to increase its market share, leading to an oil price war between the countries. On March 20, 2020, the Kremlin stated that in terms of oil, Saudi Arabia and Russia enjoy good relations, and that the Russian government does not want any other party to intervene in this relation.
The relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia further evolved under Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, granting the two nations the ability to "conspire" in oil export decisions. Russia is currently a major exporter of refined fuels to the Saudis and other Middle Eastern countries. Subsequent to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Saudi Arabia intensified investments in Russian energy companies. Saudi Arabia and Russia lead the OPEC+ group."Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding invests in Russian energy companies" Reuters. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
Other events During 2017, Saudi Arabia encouraged the United States to remove sanctions on Russia pertaining to its activity in Ukraine in exchange for Russian assistance in ending the Iranian military presence in Syria.
Russia has remained neutral between Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the Qatar diplomatic crisis, offering to mediate in July 2017.
In December 2017, Russia withdrew diplomatic representation from the Houthi-held Yemeni capital Sana'a, in opposition to the killing of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the Houthis. The killing took place as a consequence of his defection from the Houthi-dominated Supreme Political Council to the Saudi coalition in the Yemeni Civil War.
From December 2017 onward, Saudi Arabia abandoned its past support for UN resolutions condemning the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, instead choosing to abstain.
In August 2018, Russia backed Saudi Arabia in its dispute with Canada, with Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stating that "the politicization of human rights matters is unacceptable".