Remarkable place
Trump meets Putin: showdown in the desert
The fate of Ukraine is to be decided in Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin want to meet there for peace negotiations on Ukraine. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is delighted - while Europe is once again forced into the role of spectator. Including Ukraine.
It was a bombshell: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin announced that they would immediately begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. While Europe and Ukraine are still struggling to find their composure, the two superpowers are preparing for the "showdown in the desert". Trump has suggested Saudi Arabia as a meeting point.
A remarkable choice that has deeper geopolitical meanings. On the one hand, it marks a diplomatic upgrading of the Saudi role in global security issues. On the other, it could signal a further rapprochement between Riyadh, Moscow and Washington.
In recent years, the Saudi crown prince has maintained a remarkable balance between the USA and Russia - while always keeping his own interests in mind. As the de facto head of OPEC+, Saudi Arabia is in a position to influence the global energy market through its oil production. It has used this power both to coordinate production cuts with Russia and thus stabilize Russian state revenues for the war from energy exports, as well as to secure economic advantages with Washington.
Under Trump, Saudi Arabia also concluded extensive arms deals with the USA, including the infamous 110 billion dollar package of 2017. And Riyadh invested millions in Trump projects. At the same time, Saudi Arabia refused to comply with the international Russia sanctions against Moscow. While Trump and MBS took a hard line against Tehran, Putin used Iran as a partner in Syria - yet MBS always remained diplomatic in talks with Moscow.
For a long time, Saudi Arabia presented itself as a neutral player in the Ukraine issue, positioning itself as a possible mediator. In 2022, Riyadh organized a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, which was seen internationally as a success.
In Europe, the scheduling of the first Trump-Putin meeting in Riyadh is causing irritation and concern. The EU was apparently not consulted and there are fears that a "deal" could be made at the expense of Ukraine. France and Germany are concerned, while Poland and the Baltic states are firmly opposed to a negotiated solution without security guarantees for Ukraine.
Mohammed bin Salman is pursuing his own goals in this constellation. The role of mediator is intended to establish Saudi Arabia as a "global player" and present it as an indispensable partner for both superpowers.
Is it really about a peace solution?
The fact that Saudi Arabia is the venue for this first meeting shows Riyadh's growing importance on the world stage. However, it remains questionable whether this is really about a peace solution for Ukraine or a new geopolitical distribution of power. Europe and Ukraine are facing a harsh reality: a Trump-Putin deal in Saudi Arabia could end the war - but at whose expense?
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
Kommentare
Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser,
die Kommentarfunktion steht Ihnen ab 6 Uhr wieder wie gewohnt zur Verfügung.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
das krone.at-Team
User-Beiträge geben nicht notwendigerweise die Meinung des Betreibers/der Redaktion bzw. von Krone Multimedia (KMM) wieder. In diesem Sinne distanziert sich die Redaktion/der Betreiber von den Inhalten in diesem Diskussionsforum. KMM behält sich insbesondere vor, gegen geltendes Recht verstoßende, den guten Sitten oder der Netiquette widersprechende bzw. dem Ansehen von KMM zuwiderlaufende Beiträge zu löschen, diesbezüglichen Schadenersatz gegenüber dem betreffenden User geltend zu machen, die Nutzer-Daten zu Zwecken der Rechtsverfolgung zu verwenden und strafrechtlich relevante Beiträge zur Anzeige zu bringen (siehe auch AGB). Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.