Riyadh (Web Desk/Agencies): Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reaffirming the kingdom's support for "all initiatives" aimed at bringing an end to the Ukraine conflict.
According to a statement issued by the Saudi foreign ministry, during their phone call, the Crown Prince reiterated Saudi Arabia's "commitment to facilitating dialogue and supporting all initiatives aimed at achieving a political resolution."
This follows a proposal made earlier this week in Jeddah, where talks between the US and Ukraine resulted in a suggestion for a 30-day ceasefire.
However, Russian President Putin expressed doubts about the ceasefire plan, calling it a subject of "serious questions" during his remarks on Thursday.
In addition to this, Washington has agreed to resume military intelligence sharing with Ukraine, which had been suspended after the 2019 dispute between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and then-President Donald Trump.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from Jeddah after the talks, noted that "the ball is now in (Russia’s) court."
According to a Kremlin statement, Putin acknowledged the importance of resolving the Ukrainian conflict and expressed his "readiness to continue to contribute in every possible way to the normalization of Russian-American relations."
Saudi Arabia's role in these efforts is further emphasized by its hosting of talks last month between Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, where both sides agreed to form teams that would work on negotiating a way to end the ongoing war.