The Saudi Role: What Do They Want, and What Do We Want?
Tomorrow, Tuesday, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host a high-level meeting between senior officials from the United States and Russia, paving the way for a potential summit between the two countries' leaders in an attempt to halt the war in Ukraine. The conflict, now entering its fourth year, has threatened global security and peace due to alignments, polarizations, geopolitical tensions, the flow of weapons, and disruptions in energy markets.
Observers agree that the Kingdom’s selection as the host for these meetings—despite some countries wanting to replace it—was not arbitrary. It was based on several considerations, including Saudi Arabia’s leadership role in the Arab, Islamic, and global arenas, its neutral stance in this war and other global conflicts, and its economic strength, which helps maintain the balance of the global energy market.
For these reasons, Saudi leadership has played a political and humanitarian role in attempting to stop this devastating war and mitigate its effects. The Kingdom has condemned the Russian invasion, just as it has consistently condemned the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and its war on Gaza. It has also sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, mediated the release of prisoners of war, facilitated the reunification of children with their families, and secured the release of American citizens. Additionally, it hosted the Ukrainian president, who plans to visit the Kingdom soon. At the same time, Saudi Arabia has not severed its ties with Russia and has become a key player in OPEC+ and the BRICS organization, aiming to stabilize oil market imbalances. The Saudi leadership also appreciates President Putin’s stance during certain moments when he faced fierce campaigns from Western countries and their media, including the United States itself.
On the American side, President Donald Trump promised during his election campaign to stop this war, claiming it would not have happened if he were president. However, since taking office, the world seems to be heading toward a future of turmoil and uncertainty—a surreal, highly volatile world whose fate depends on the stroke of a pen by a president who loves signing executive decisions, often driven by vengeance or retaliation, targeting not only his political opponents within the U.S. and its institutions but also European allies and even neighbors.
Many have written about this president’s personality and controversial decisions. Some say his political decisions are governed by an endless real estate mentality, while others argue that he aims to fulfill his promise of making America great again, especially amid analyses suggesting the decline of the American era. Others believe the president is eyeing a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to end wars worldwide, including the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
What is evident in all of this is that the president wants to shock, awe, and intimidate the world within the first 100 days of his term. He is willing to sacrifice Ukraine, its president, and all the military, economic, and political efforts of his European allies to support Ukraine over the past three years. He aims to end this war in the absence of President Zelensky, who appeared at the Munich Security Conference like an orphan at a feast of the wicked. Moreover, he seeks to grant America a monopoly over Ukrainian minerals.
However, the options of using force, threats, intimidation, coercion, and proposing extreme solutions—such as occupying Canada and Grenada, seizing the Panama Canal, imposing tariffs on most of the world’s exports, demanding lower oil prices, emptying Gaza of its population, and halting foreign aid—all hint at a return to old colonialism, the slave trade, and an expansion of hostility toward the United States.
In any case, the winds do not always blow as the ships desire, even though ships no longer rely on sails—a truth understood by every rational person. Therefore, Trump and his administration are aware of this reality and have begun spreading across Europe and the Middle East, hearing opposing and even critical views of American policies, as evident in the statements of the French president and the German chancellor.
Amid all these developments, Saudi Arabia is hosting these meetings. Its role will be both active and observant. The Kingdom has its own calculations, which will shape its policies based on the outcomes of these meetings. These calculations include its relations with Russia and China, as well as its financial and economic standing in the world. While the Kingdom is prepared to assist the U.S. administration in resolving some of its crises, it will not sacrifice the relationships it has built over the years or its diligent efforts with China and Southeast Asian countries. It will not allow Washington to solve its problems with China, for example, at the expense of Saudi Arabia, especially after Trump threatened to flood the global oil market to lower prices—a move that would directly impact Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which rely heavily on oil as their primary economic resource.
The Saudi leadership is also aware that the extreme and adventurous biblical right-wing in the Zionist entity is pushing the United States to wage war on Iran and strike its nuclear facilities, ensuring that this entity remains the sole nuclear power dominating the Middle East. It has been supplied with destructive bombs that could be used against Iran, whose relations with Saudi Arabia have somewhat stabilized following the China-brokered agreement.
If these meetings culminate in an agreement to stop the war in Ukraine, it will serve as a bargaining chip for Saudi leadership to pressure the U.S. administration regarding the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict and push for a change in its policies if it wishes to maintain its alliances in the region, especially as the U.S. faces a decline in its geopolitical standing. Analysts, experts, and global opinion polls acknowledge that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "enjoys widespread popularity both within the Kingdom and abroad, becoming a charismatic and beloved leader in the Arab world, with many global leaders seeking his favor." They agree that, through this popular support, Saudi Arabia’s political and economic standing, and his relationship with President Trump, the Crown Prince could reshape the Middle East in a way that preserves Arab interests without compromising core principles—unlike those who dream of change through force and imposing fait accompli policies. This reality was confirmed by an impartial expert from the opposing camp in a detailed analysis published last week in Al-Quds Al-Arabi, who asked: "Who other than Mohammed bin Salman can untangle the intertwined threads of the Middle East?"
