The promised summit in Saudi Arabia between US President Trump and Russian President Putin depends on the outcomes of the ongoing negotiations between the two governments. Will the summit be a new “Yalta” that creates a new world order, or will it be similar to the summit negotiations in the Cuban Missile Crisis, ending the European-Russian-American war and its nuclear dangers as well?
The wheel turned regardless of the initial objections of the two parts, and the delegations met in Riyadh, at the sumptuous Diriyah Palace. The technical teams concerned with the negotiations of the relationship between the two powers continue to work on its arrangements, despite the fact that their relationships have deteriorated since the crisis of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
The choice of Saudi Arabia as the scene for the summit has aroused interest and perhaps annoyance for some. The choice was made in order to find a ground acceptable to both the Russians and the Americans. Moreover, the good personal relationships between the two leaders and the Saudi Crown Prince, facilitated and enabled the process to begin quickly by holding the first meetings at the leadership level of the two governments in Riyadh. Prince Mohammed bin Salman built a strong and trustworthy relationship with President Donald Trump immediately after assuming his presidency in 2017, as well as with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the relationship developed in an unprecedented way, despite the differences between them.
The summit aims to resolve the main dilemma, which is arranging relations between Moscow and Washington, and is not a special summit on Ukraine as both sides have said, meaning that it includes dealing with multiple issues, one Ukraine, international competition, and new opposing political and economic axes.
The Russian-American summit is preceded by global hopes and fears. Firstly, because we have witnessed major political movement since Trump arrived at the White House, who decided to follow a different approach in his management of US policy. Secondly, because Russia has advanced in its war in Ukraine, and has established new alliances that have included North Korea and Iran, as well as strengthened its relationship with Beijing. There are also the fears of the Europeans who are facing changes that may constitute a new history in the relationship with Washington and in the new world order. This is why the French president sought to contact the summit host, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a French statement, and a number of European capitals announced their opinions and positions regarding the possibilities of what the Saudi summit might discuss.
China, which has yet to make a political announcement, will be concerned with the new developments in resolving the differences between Washington and Moscow, and their repercussions on it. Trump also extended his hand to President Xi Jinping, calling for a new page to be opened and a new political-economic agreement to be negotiated, but at the same time he was quick to announce a draft of additional restrictions and tariffs on Chinese exports.
What would a Trump-Putin summit in Saudi Arabia mean? Aside from its importance for relations between the two world powers and easing tensions, the Middle East is one of the arenas that suffers from international conflict and interference in many of the region’s crises. A reconciliation summit between Moscow and Washington, if successful, would pave the way for reducing major conflicts in the Middle East and may later lead to ending the European war.