Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to thank him for playing host to a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh, the Kremlin reported on Thursday.
The call came amid increased efforts by the United States to bring an end to hostilities in Ukraine and a resumption in top-level contact between the US and Russia. Riyadh is also seen as a likely venue for a summit between President Donald Trump and Putin.
Rubio and Lavrov met in Riyadh on Tuesday, agreeing to set up a high-level team to negotiate an end to the war.
Saudi Arabia, where the crown prince serves as de facto ruler, is a key partner to both the US and Russia. It has also mediated in humanitarian issues in the Ukraine war.
During the phone call, Putin stressed cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia in maintaining stability in global oil prices through the OPEC+ cartel.
Trump has threatened to depress oil prices if Moscow does not cooperate in talks on ending the war, but would need Saudi cooperation to make the threat effective.
