By Denis Korkodinov
After the attack of the Yemeni Hussites on the oil facilities of Saudi Arabia, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to use the current situation to his advantage. He suggested that Riyadh buy Russian S-400 systems.
And just because the Saudis cannot rely on US assistance because of restrictions on arms supplies imposed by the US Congress, Moscow remains virtually the only country that Riyadh can turn to for protection.
Vladimir Putin made a proposal to buy Russian air defense systems almost immediately after Riyadh accused Iran of involvement in the attacks, while Washington chose not to show too much interest in the conflict at this stage, referring to being busy with other matters.
In turn, the proposal of the Russian leader was aimed not so much to get a reaction from the Saudis, but to cause US concern. It was a kind of “click on the nose” of Donald Trump, who could not counteract the supply of Russian S-400s to Turkey, and now is unlikely to interfere with the supply of weapons from Russia to Saudi Arabia.
Despite some loyalty to the Yemenite Hussites, Moscow intends to solve its own economic problems through the sale of weapons to warring parties. And since under the current conditions the demand for advanced Russian-made S-400 systems exceeds supply,this creates for Moscow a unique opportunity to remain a leader in the global arms market.
It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia is one of the main buyers of weapons from the United States. This circumstance allowed Donald Trump to repeatedly flaunt the fact that the Saudis will always buy American weapons.
For this reason, he even vetoed the initiative of the US Congress to limit arms supplies to Saudi Arabia. Therefore, a sharp reorientation of Riyadh towards Moscow can cause tension in US-Saudi relations. In addition, Riyadh, at the initiative of Washington, runs the risk of facing a number of economic and military-political sanctions, which, however, will affect the global energy market.
Russia currently ranks third in oil production after the United States and Saudi Arabia. The exclusion of Riyadh from this list significantly increases the possibilities of Moscow and creates a privileged position for it.
In this regard, Vladimir Putin can consciously provoke the Saudis to cooperate with him, knowing that this will create great problems for Riyadh in relations with the United States, which will positively affect the politics and economy of Russia.
(The views expressed in this article belong only to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights)