ALBAWABA - Russian Federation's Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev arrived on Monday in Riyadh to discuss security matters with his counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz.
Just days after Volodymyr Zelenskiyy's addressed Arab world leaders at the Arab League summit held in Jeddah, Kolokoltsev has been welcomed in Riyadh by Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al-Falih, and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom, Sergey Kozlov.
One of the main points to be discussed on the agenda between Kolokoltsev and Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud is how Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been maintaining their ties with Russia in the midst of Moscow's war on Ukraine.
This visit can be deemed controversial by some because Kolokoltsev has been sanctioned by the U.S. since 2018 as a part of a slew of sanctions imposed on Russia's activity in Syria and Ukraine. According to the U.S. Treasury, Kolokoltsev has also been sanctioned by Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
In 2022, Kolokoltsev has been denied a visa by the U.S. to participate in a United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia has been purchasing Russian fuel at very low prices due to the sanctions imposed on Moscow.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told the Arab League Summit on Friday “The kingdom is ready to continue mediating between Russia and Ukraine and to support all international efforts to end the crisis politically toward peace,”.
Bin Salman has been trying to position Riyadh as a potential mediator between Moscow and Kyiv to put an end to the ongoing war.
