At every meeting between the French president and the Saudi crown prince, human rights organizations criticize the initiative and recall the history of absolute monarchy. This time, however, the Élysée presented a novelty on the agenda, adding that today during their working lunch they will discuss “the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the rest of the world”. As Kiev continues to claim progress on the battlefront, four allies have pledged to send more air defense systems and their missiles as soon as possible.
During Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) previous visit, the war had already been a topic of discussion, with the two stating that they are working together to limit “the consequences” of the Russian invasion in other countries. Now Paris has upped the ante, saying it is aiming for Saudi Arabia to significantly increase support for Kiev. So far, Riyadh has helped Ukraine with $400 million (mainly in petroleum products) and successfully brokered a POW exchange in September. In May, Volodymyr Zelensky landed aboard a plane borrowed from the French Republic in Jeddah, where he spoke at the Arab League summit.
Like Saudi Arabia, most countries in that organization have important ties to Moscow and have tried to remain neutral. But if the Saudis showed goodwill towards the Ukrainians, then it is no less true that the voluntary reductions in oil production (the most recent coming into effect in July) to force price increases could benefit Russia, as denounced Washington.
Riyadh, which has important economic ties to Moscow, has helped Ukraine with $400 million.
The Élysée reported that Macron and MBS would also discuss “issues of regional stability”, with Lebanon likely to be a central topic. Beirut has been without a head of state for seven months and on Wednesday the deputies again failed to elect Michel Aoun’s successor.
MBS, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, is in France since yesterday for a state visit. Staying in his property called Louis XIV, a recent construction that copies the architectural style of the French imperial palaces, or if not next to Versailles, your stay should last several days.
In addition to meeting Emmanuel Macron, he will participate on Monday in an official reception for Riyadh’s candidacy to host the Expo 2030 and is also expected at a summit in the French capital that will take place on March 22 and 23, at a new global financing pact. Here you can meet the French head of state again, since the meeting is your initiative.
The French president was instrumental in normalizing the crown prince: he was one of the first Western leaders to meet with MBS following the scandal surrounding the December 2021 murder of activist Jamal Kashoggi, when US intelligence agencies had long been known to write crediting the crime to MBS itself.
Human rights groups again condemned the meeting between the two leaders. For France’s Amnesty leader Jean-Claude Samouiller, Macron should warn his guest about the issue “which has a frightening record on the death penalty,” with 196 executions last year.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard warns that Riyadh is about to execute “seven young people who were children at the time of their alleged crime, one of whom was only 12 years old”. So Macron asks: “We are rebuilding an international system based on what values?”, in statements to France Info. According to Ahmed Benchemsi, of Human Rights Watch, in billions of dollars to “improve the image of the kingdom”, including the purchase of footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo or Benzema.
100 km2 restored
In Kiev, the Armed Forces General Staff said 100 km2 of territory had been recaptured since the beginning of the month, while Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malia reiterated that there was a “gradual but steady advance” in the south, despite Russia’s “strong resists”. A new Ramstein meeting was held in Brussels, at NATO headquarters. US Chief of Staff Mark Milley was cautious: “It is a very violent fight that is likely to be long and costly.”
At the meeting, it was indicated that billions of dollars have been pledged for Ukrainian defense and that hundreds of missiles and additional air defense systems are on their way to Kiev thanks to Denmark, the Netherlands, the US and the UK.
Source: DN
