On December 6, Russia's ** Putin, escorted by four Su-35S fighter jets, visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and conducted in-depth exchanges with the leaders of the two countries on energy, economy, security and other fields. On December 7, Russia and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement emphasizing the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation and regional stability.
However, the day after Putin's visit, the Saudi royal family announced that Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, a lieutenant colonel of the Royal Saudi Air Force and a member of the royal family, had died in a crash with an F-15SA fighter jet during a training session.
The news sparked widespread concern and speculation, with some even linking it to Putin's visit as a conspiracy or revenge. So, is there really some kind of hidden connection between Putin's visit and the crash of the prince? What do these two events mean for the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Russia?
Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia is the second visit to the country after 12 years, and it is also an important move by Russia to demonstrate its influence in the Middle East after a series of events such as drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities, the announcement of the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, and Turkey's military operation against Syrian Kurdish forces.
The main purpose of Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia is to strengthen cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the field of energy and maintain the stability of international oil prices. Russia and Saudi Arabia, both the world's largest oil producers and exporters, have played an important role in stabilizing the oil market by agreeing on an agreement on production cuts within the OPEC+ framework.
During Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia, the two countries signed a long-term cooperation agreement with oil-producing countries, demonstrating the strategic synergy between the two sides in the energy sector. The other is to promote diversified cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the fields of economy, investment, and military, and to enhance the level of bilateral relations.
In the past few years, Russia and Saudi Arabia have shown similar positions and interests on some major international and regional issues, such as the Syrian issue, the Iranian nuclear issue, and the Yemen issue. During Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia, the two countries signed more than 20 documents in the fields of nuclear energy, aerospace, agriculture, medical care, education, and tourism, as well as an outline of high-level strategic cooperation between the two countries, laying the foundation for the comprehensive development of bilateral relations.
On December 8, the Saudi royal family announced that Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, a lieutenant colonel of the Royal Saudi Air Force and a member of the royal family, was killed in a crash of an F-15SA fighter jet piloted during a training exercise.
The news sparked widespread concern and speculation, with some even linking it to Putin's visit as a conspiracy or revenge. However, after investigation and analysis, the cause of the Saudi prince's crash may have been a technical malfunction or pilot error, rather than sabotage or hostilities.
It is reported that this F-15SA fighter is one of the most advanced fighters purchased by Saudi Arabia from the United States, equipped with advanced radar, electronic warfare, flight control and other systems, excellent performance, but also more complex, requiring high-level pilots and maintenance personnel.
In addition, the Saudi Air Force has also had a number of F-15 fighter crashes in recent years, some of which were caused by technical failures or pilot error. Therefore, the Saudi prince's crash cannot be easily blamed on the intervention or retaliation of external forces.
It is understood that Prince Talal is the grandson of Abdulaziz, the first king of Saudi Arabia, and the former assistant intelligence chief of the Saudi intelligence agency GIP, but he is not the direct heir to the Saudi throne and has not participated in Saudi political and military decision-making. Therefore, although his death will grieve the Saudi royal family and people, it will not have a significant impact on the political and security situation in Saudi Arabia.
On the contrary, the Saudi Air Force may face more doubts and pressure because of this accident, not only to find out the cause of the accident, but also to improve the level of training of pilots and the maintenance of equipment to avoid similar tragedies from happening again.
Between Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia and the crash of the prince, there is no evidence of any conspiracy or retaliation. Some may suspect that Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia is aimed at pressuring Saudi Arabia to align itself with Russia on some issues in the Middle East or to weaken the Saudis' alliance with the United States.
And the prince crash is Saudi dissatisfaction with Putin's visit, or the United States' punishment of Saudi Arabia. However, none of these speculations are factual and illogical. The purpose of Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia is to enhance cooperation and trust between the two sides, not to create confrontation and hostility.
The cause of the Prince's crash was due to a technical malfunction or pilot error, not due to sabotage or hostilities. Linking the two things will only create unnecessary misunderstandings and suspicions and damage friendly relations between the two sides.
Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia and the plane crash are two high-profile events in the Middle East in December 2023, and they are also two things that some people have to think about. However, through the analysis, we can see that there is no inevitable causal relationship between the two events, and it will not have a decisive impact on the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia is an important move for Russia to demonstrate its influence in the Middle East and an important opportunity for Saudi Arabia and Russia to strengthen bilateral cooperation. The prince's crash is a tragedy for the Saudi Air Force and a sorrow for the Saudi royal family.
Two things, although adjacent in time, are fundamentally different and should not be over-interpreted or connected, but should be viewed and dealt with objectively. The relationship between Saudi Arabia and Russia will not change fundamentally because of these two events, but will move forward steadily on the basis of mutual respect and understanding.