Saudi Arabia praises US-Russia call, welcomes possible summit in Kingdom

14 February, 2025 17:27

Saudi Arabia praises US-Russia call, welcomes possible summit in Kingdom

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on February 12, 2025 shows (from L) US President Donald Trump looking on during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2025. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaking to the press prior to the European Council meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on December 19, 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin holding his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2024.. US President Donald Trump said on February 12, 2025 that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky wanted "peace," after the US president spoke to Russia's Vladimir Putin about talks to end the Ukraine war. (Photo by AFP)

Saudi Arabia on Friday welcomed a recent phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the possibility of hosting a summit between the two leaders in the Kingdom, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia commends the phone call that took place between His Excellency President Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, and His Excellency President Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, on February 12, 2025,” the statement read.

It further expressed Saudi Arabia’s readiness to host any potential summit and reaffirmed its commitment to mediating a resolution to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reiterated the Kingdom’s support for mediation since the beginning of the war, and during separate calls with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 3, 2022.

“The Kingdom affirms its continued efforts to achieve lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine,” the statement added, underscoring Riyadh’s ongoing diplomatic initiatives over the past three years.