Saudi Arabia Reiterates Readiness to Mediate Between Russia, Ukraine

As the Russian military operation enters its ninth day, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call on Thursday from President Vladimir Putin.

During the call, they discussed relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them in various fields, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The call also touched on international crises. With regard to the crisis in Ukraine, the Saudi Crown Prince stressed the Kingdom's declared position and support for efforts that lead to a political solution that leads to its end and achieves security and stability, stressing the Kingdom's readiness to mediate between all parties.

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With regard to energy markets, bin Salman reiterated the Kingdom's keenness to maintain the oil market's balance and stability, highlighting the role of the OPEC+ agreement and the importance of maintaining it.

Saudi Arabia, OPEC's de facto leader has refused requests to pump more oil to help tame surging crude prices, which recorded $116 a barrel.

"Taking into account the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by a number of Western countries, Putin stressed the inadmissibility of politicizing the issues of global energy supply,” the Kremlin said in a statement published by Russian state news agency TASS, which described the phone call between the two leaders.

After the Saudi Crown Prince offered on Thursday to mediate a solution to the Ukrainian crisis, in a phone call with Putin, the Saudi Press Agency reported that the Prince received another phone call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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A senior Ukrainian official announced that Kyiv and Moscow agreed Thursday to establish humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians in the second round of talks since the start of the Russian military operation last week.

The talks between the two delegations, which are being held in the Polivskaya Pocha region in Brest on the Belarusian border, close to Poland, are continuing after they started last Monday.