Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019.POOL/AFP/Getty Images
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that there were no plans for contacts between President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman prior to this week’s meeting of the OPEC+ group of leading oil producers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked in a telephone briefing if any agreements should be expected following the OPEC+ meeting, and whether any talks were planned between Putin and the Saudi crown prince.
“So far, no phone contacts are planned for this week,” he said. “As for OPEC+, as you know, we never announce anything. This is quite delicate work, responsible work. Russia continues contacts with its counterparts in this format.”
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, collectively known as OPEC+, will hold an online meeting to decide oil output levels on Thursday.
The meeting was postponed from Nov. 26. OPEC+ sources said this was because of a disagreement over output levels for African producers, although sources have since said the group has moved closer to a compromise on this point.