Egypt Daily News – The announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia is likely to host his peace-making summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin may seem like an unusual choice.
However, for Trump and his advisors, Saudi Arabia makes perfect sense.
In the past, U.S. presidents have held talks with their Russian counterparts in Geneva, Helsinki, Prague, Vienna, and Bratislava—all in Europe, where the relationship between Washington and Moscow has deep implications.
Several other countries have offered themselves as potential locations for the upcoming Trump-Putin summit, including Serbia and Switzerland.
But Russian officials have considered that a meeting in Europe could be biased in favor of Ukraine, as most European countries have condemned Russia’s invasion and supported Kyiv throughout the three-year-long conflict, according to informed sources.
In contrast, Saudi Arabia has maintained a neutral stance, refraining from criticizing Moscow or joining the West in imposing sanctions. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin, meaning the Russian leader can travel there for talks without risking arrest.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has established close ties with President Trump, as evidenced last month when he became the first world leader to speak with Trump by phone after his inauguration. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is also one of the few powerful world leaders who has maintained close relations with Putin since the invasion of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Trump said in the Oval Office: “We know the Crown Prince, and I think it (Saudi Arabia) would be a very good place to go.” As he seeks to bolster his position as an influential international player, Mohammed bin Salman has identified the Ukraine crisis as a potential area of opportunity. He hosted a peace summit in Jeddah last year.
Earlier this week, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a key role in the exchange of American and Russian detainees, reprising the role he played in August of last year when he helped mediate the largest prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy who helped facilitate the exchange, said, “He has a very strong friendship with President Trump, and he was encouraging, pushing, and seeking the right outcome behind the scenes, and that was helpful, it really was.”
