Faisal’s view
When US President Donald Trump announced last week that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict, much of the Western political establishment was stunned. The only unsurprising detail was the venue: Saudi Arabia, which has spent a decade building strong ties with all major global powers.
Preliminary talks between US and Russian officials in Riyadh on Tuesday were described as “positive” by the Kremlin. This is the first sign that years of standoff between Moscow and Washington may end, leading to significant breakthroughs on several fronts, including — but not limited to — Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also held talks with Saudi officials. Behind closed doors, a more measured approach to Gaza — one that differs from Trump’s proposal to displace Gazans — was likely discussed. This will allow the kingdom to potentially endorse any plan for the Strip that comes from outside the region. And with Saudi Arabia hosting Friday’s emergency Arab summit on Gaza, Riyadh’s influence on the issue is undeniable.
Riyadh has been clear on Gaza: any attempt to forcibly remove Palestinians from their land, whether through Israeli settlement expansion, annexation, or displacement, is categorically rejected. This position — supported by Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab states — is based on unshakeable principles that also give the kingdom credibility to rally regional consensus on critical issues.
What happens next with Gaza and Ukraine is yet to be determined, but what recent events show is Saudi Arabia’s influence — built through delicate diplomatic balancing efforts — is proving to be useful for regional and global negotiations.
While some criticized Saudi Arabia’s engagement with Moscow after it condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the kingdom’s commitment to being a reliable and trustworthy mediator has yielded tangible results. Over the past three years, Riyadh has brokered prisoner swaps involving Ukrainians, Russians, Americans, and Europeans, building trust on all sides.
In October, I asked Putin whether he would consider coming to Saudi Arabia for peace talks. He said he believed that Saudi efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine were “sincere” and that there was a friendship and trust that distinguished his relationship with the Saudi leadership. He added that while the location of such talks were acceptable, their success depended on what Ukraine was willing to bring to the table.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia maintained a close relationship with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the Ukrainian leader repeatedly thanking Riyadh for its humanitarian aid and mediation efforts. However, when it comes to hosting direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, this would naturally be subject to what both Putin and Zelenskyy agree to.
The kingdom’s growing diplomatic clout isn’t an accident. Having built strong ties with Trump during his first term — and maintaining contact in the interregnum to his second — Riyadh is well positioned to be a facilitator for a potential end to the Russia-Ukraine war, which would stabilize Europe and the world, as well as global energy and commodity markets.
In Gaza, Saudi Arabia’s working relationships with China, Russia, and most recently Iran could prove crucial in convincing world powers that a two-state solution is the only viable path forward. The kingdom has already formed a global coalition for Palestinian statehood, earning backing from major European and regional players.
With its leadership in the Arab and Muslim worlds well established, Riyadh is now emerging as a power broker in global diplomacy. While this may have seemed surprising a week ago, it’s been a decades-long foreign policy balancing act by the Saudi government.
Faisal J. Abbas is an award-winning journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Arab News.