Putin Urges Immediate Yemen Ceasefire In Call With Saudi Crown Prince

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a Monday telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (who is also the prime minister) – wherein the two leaders focused on broad bilateral issues.

Referring to the “Saudi National Day”, a TASS readout indicates “The Russian leader congratulated the Saudi Crown Prince on the upcoming national holiday – the day marking the founding of Saudi Arabia – noting that a century ago, the Soviet Union was the first foreign nation to recognize the Saudi Kingdom.”

Aside from the usual boilerplate expressing satisfaction on the bilateral relationship on multiple fronts, the two addressed the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, where the Iran conflict has spilled over into Yemen this month.

Per the readout, MbS and Putin agreed that that there is “no alternative to political and diplomatic efforts aimed at normalizing the current crisis, while duly taking into account the interests of all parties.”

Putin urged every effort to achieve a ceasefire, and to avoid escalation:

“In light of the deteriorating military-political situation in Yemen, the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the creation of conditions for launching a constructive intra-Yemeni dialogue under UN auspices was reaffirmed. At the same time, the importance of ensuring the safe and unhindered passage of vessels through international waterways in the region – including the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Strait of Hormuz – was emphasized,” the Kremlin said.

Moscow and Riyadh agreed continue communication at various levels, and work on stability in the region.

While Russia is not involved in the Yemen conflict, it does provide military supplies and conducts trade with Tehran, and so may have some leverage in terms of pushing the Islamic Republic to get the Shia Houthis to the peace table.

The Yemen conflict could yet spiral into something more serious, and could draw in especially the Pakistanis after Riyadh and Islamabad inked the Mecca Defense Pact this summer.

Earlier this month: Saudi Arabia is learning a lesson that money and American weapons could never erase: you cannot buy your way out of geography.

This week, the Houthis expressed openness to a comprehensive ceasefire deal, but have also emphasized that the Saudi siege of Houthi-controlled areas must halt for this to be a possibility. The Yemen war and threat to Saudi oil infrastructure has only served to increase Iran’s leverage over global energy, amid the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis and standoff with US forces.