As the US and Russia meet in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine, the talks potentially mark the end of a battle over who would get to serve as the mediator to help bring the war to an end. The diplomatic tussle to be the Ukraine war’s peace broker has been fractious. So how did Saudi Arabia come out on top? It comes down to the Kingdom’s cordial relations with both Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Donald Trump’s White House – and, of course, a lot of money.
MBS is said to be Trump’s favourite foreign leader
Saudi Arabia’s triumph was not a foregone conclusion. Prior to the Trump White House’s latest efforts, Turkey, France, India, Hungary, Austria, Denmark and even Israel (before the 7 October massacre) amongst many others made bids to claim the prize of chief middleman. As Trump knows all too well, enormous kudos is attached to being a successful fixer on the international stage.
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