The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin's high-five handshake with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the weekend was “based on an interest in further development of bilateral relations.”
The two world leaders met for a lengthy bilateral meeting during the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires on Dec. 1 to discuss oil output production cuts, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by the RBC news website on Monday. The Russian president reportedly accepted an invitation to visit Saudi Arabia in 2019 during the meeting.
Peskov went on to call Putin’s rapport with the Saudi leader “an investment into effective relations on a mutually beneficial basis.”
Late last month, the Kremlin said it had no reason to believe that bin Salman had been involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi despite media reports.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
