Kremlin denies talks to abandon Syria in exchange for Saudi arms

[Yzd Khalifa]

The Kremlin denied on Friday that President Vladimir Putin had discussed a deal with the visiting Saudi intelligence chief for Moscow to sell arms to Riyadh in exchange for changing its position on Syria.

Mr Putin held talks in Moscow with Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia's influential intelligence chief, on July 31 in a meeting which was not announced in advance and has intrigued observers ever since.

"Concrete questions about military co-operation were not discussed," said Yury Ushakov, Mr Putin's top foreign policy aide, quoted by Russian news agencies.
"Putin did not discuss deals."

Saudi Arabia has been strongly supportive of the rebels battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. But Russia, to the fury of Riyadh and its Western allies, has refused to cut its cooperation with the Damascus regime.

Diplomats in the Middle East have said that Putin rejected a proposal from Prince Bandar for Moscow to abandon its support for Assad in exchange for a huge arms deal.

Bandar proposed that Saudi Arabia buy $15 billion (£10 billion) of weapons from Russia, diplomatic sources told AFP in Beirut earlier this week.

Ushakov gave few details on the content of the talks but said the two sides "made clear the positions which our countries have on the Syrian question".

"There was a shared concern about the situation which is being created in the region and the worrying tendencies that are being observed," said Ushakov.

"It was a very substantive conversation, and had a philosophical character," he added.
Prince Bandar, who was formerly ambassador to the United States, also serves as secretary general of Saudi Arabia's National Security Council.

Widely regarded as among the most influential powerbrokers in the entire Middle East, Prince Bandar is the son of the late crown prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who died in 2011.

An Arab diplomat with contacts in Moscow said: "President Putin listened politely to his interlocutor and let him know that his country would not change its strategy."

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Kremlin says no deal reached with Saudi on changing Syria stance

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has not made an agreement with Saudi Arabia to scale back support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in exchange for economic incentives including an arms deal, the Kremlin said on Friday.

Commenting on a Reuters report that Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar made the proposal to Putin at talks last week in Moscow, Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said no deal had been discussed in detail.

He also said no specifics about military cooperation had been discussed but did not issue a denial that the broad outlines of a proposal had been presented to Putin.

"Putin did not discuss a deal," Ushakov told reporters. "No specific questions on developing military cooperation were discussed."

Suggesting the meeting had been short on detail, he said: "It was a very rich and interesting meeting that was of a philosophical character."

Prince Bandar and Putin "demonstrated a similar amount of concern" about the conflict in Syria, he said.

Russia has supported Assad with arms and diplomatic cover throughout the war and any change in Moscow's stance would remove a major obstacle to action on Syria by the United Nations Security Council.

Syrian opposition sources close to Saudi Arabia said Prince Bandar offered to buy up to $15 billion of Russian weapons as well as ensuring that Gulf gas would not threaten Russia's position as a main gas supplier to Europe.

In return, Saudi Arabia wanted Moscow to ease its strong support of Assad and agree not to block any future Security Council Resolution on Syria, they said.

A Gulf source familiar with the matter also said that Prince Bandar offered to buy large quantities of arms from Russia, but that no cash amount was specified in the talks.

(Reporting by Denis Dyomkin, writing by Gabriela Baczynska, editing by Timothy Heritage)

Kremlin says no deal reached with Saudi on changing Syria stance | Reuters

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

I told each and everyone of you that the news was a 100% untrue BECAUSE I KNOW, some of you insisted, so here we are.


@Arzamas 16 @Not Sure @Syrian Lion @Desert Fox @idune @Serpentine @hunter_hunted
@HAIDER @JD_In @senheiser @Algeria @TheThreePashas @special @vostok @Super Falcon @Assault Rifle @shahzadasweet

 

[vostok]

I think this is the way the Kremlin keeps the person - as his own, and the prince.
Still, geopolitics - not the market. Even if something is being discussed it is not allowed to know for everybody.
And as for the proposed transaction - Putin once said that he will not betrayed Assad, even if the fighting comes to the streets of Moscow.

 

[Takaavar]

Yeah, no surprise.

------------

BTW, LoL @ signature, it seems somebody is angry
Let me wake you up, here's the fate of your beloved hero who said that to justify his crimes (heartbreaking, I know):

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

@Takaavar

And what does Sadam has to do with this topic? At least Sadam resisted for decades, don't take pride for something your so-called eternal enemy did to help you, because it will make you look weak and bad.

I think this is the way the Kremlin keeps the person - as his own, and the prince.
Still, geopolitics - not the market. Even if something is being discussed it is not allowed to know for everybody.
And as for the proposed transaction - Putin once said that he will not betrayed Assad, even if the fighting comes to the streets of Moscow.

As I said to you before, KSA is as rational as Russia, Putin's stand on Syria is a matter of principle but nothing else.

 

[vostok]

[MENTION=135713]
As I said to you before, KSA is as rational as Russia, Putin's stand on Syria is a matter of principle but nothing else.

Russia, in contrast to the Anglo-Saxons, did not seek world domination and agree to a multipolar world. And why would the Arabs do not become one of the poles? Anglo-Saxons make enemies of us, they have long lived on principle of "Divide and Conquer".

 

[Echo_419]

I think this is the way the Kremlin keeps the person - as his own, and the prince.
Still, geopolitics - not the market. Even if something is being discussed it is not allowed to know for everybody.
And as for the proposed transaction - Putin once said that he will not betrayed Assad, even if the fighting comes to the streets of Moscow.

Why is Russia not Supplying Arms to the Govt forces
I am no Fan of Assad but the People who are supposed to Replace him are going to Create big trouble for all of the world
I don't know why the Israelis or Americans or Europeans are Understanding this

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Russia, in contrast to the Anglo-Saxons, did not seek world domination and agree to a multipolar world. And why would the Arabs do not become one of the poles? Anglo-Saxons make enemies of us, they have long lived on principle of "Divide and Conquer".

What about KSA, do you think KSA is mild toward Russia? What about the other way around.

 

[vostok]

Why is Russia not Supplying Arms to the Govt forces
I am no Fan of Assad but the People who are supposed to Replace him are going to Create big trouble for all of the world
I don't know why the Israelis or Americans or Europeans are Understanding this

Who told you that does not deliver?
A couple of times a month to arrive Tartus large landing ships of the Russian fleet - wags called it the "Mediterranean Express."

What about KSA, do you think KSA is mild toward Russia? What about the other way around.

What do you mean? In military aspect?

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Who told you that does not deliver?
A couple of times a month to arrive Tartus large landing ships of the Russian fleet - wags called it the "Mediterranean Express."



What do you mean? In military aspect?

No, I mean in general, do you believe that the Saudi-Russo relations could become more friendlier? Please enlighten us

 

[vostok]

No, I mean in general, do you believe that the Saudi-Russo relations could become more friendlier? Please enlighten us

I think the major improvement will not be long until you will have such a close relationship with the United States.
Until then, are possible only certain types of weapons transactions.

 

[olcayto]

I love it when I'm right

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

I love it when I'm right

Why buying T-90s when we are going to get the AlTays and the Leopards soon
Not to mention the Augusta Helicopter of Turkey

 

[Jihad_]

The Kremlin denied on Friday that President Vladimir Putin had discussed a deal with the visiting Saudi intelligence chief for Moscow to sell arms to Riyadh in exchange for changing its position on Syria.

Mr Putin held talks in Moscow with Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia's influential intelligence chief, on July 31 in a meeting which was not announced in advance and has intrigued observers ever since.

"Concrete questions about military co-operation were not discussed," said Yury Ushakov, Mr Putin's top foreign policy aide, quoted by Russian news agencies.
"Putin did not discuss deals."

Saudi Arabia has been strongly supportive of the rebels battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. But Russia, to the fury of Riyadh and its Western allies, has refused to cut its cooperation with the Damascus regime.

Diplomats in the Middle East have said that Putin rejected a proposal from Prince Bandar for Moscow to abandon its support for Assad in exchange for a huge arms deal.

Bandar proposed that Saudi Arabia buy $15 billion (£10 billion) of weapons from Russia, diplomatic sources told AFP in Beirut earlier this week.

Ushakov gave few details on the content of the talks but said the two sides "made clear the positions which our countries have on the Syrian question".

"There was a shared concern about the situation which is being created in the region and the worrying tendencies that are being observed," said Ushakov.

"It was a very substantive conversation, and had a philosophical character," he added.
Prince Bandar, who was formerly ambassador to the United States, also serves as secretary general of Saudi Arabia's National Security Council.

Widely regarded as among the most influential powerbrokers in the entire Middle East, Prince Bandar is the son of the late crown prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who died in 2011.

An Arab diplomat with contacts in Moscow said: "President Putin listened politely to his interlocutor and let him know that his country would not change its strategy."

Source? Cannot find this report.