Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: YOMIURI SHINBUN
“Both sides reiterated their readiness for further close co-ordination in this area in the interest of maintaining stability in the world energy market,” the Kremlin said. Putin and Saudi leaders haven’t talked twice in the same week since April, when Moscow and Riyadh were trying to reach a deal to end a devastating oil price war. US President Donald Trump ultimately brokered a truce between the two, also joining some of the calls.
In private, some Opec+ delegates debate whether the tapering should be postponed, at least a few months into 2021. A delay of two or three months is a “realistic” possibility, one Opec delegate said, asking not to be named as the discussions remain private. Putin and the crown prince also discussed co-operation in fighting the pandemic and the possibility of using Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in Saudi Arabia, the Kremlin said.