Something’s cooking in KSA. Maximum alert level at the royal palace Friday morning.
https://twitter.com/mujtahidd/status/1070959987025960961
The Saudi ambassador to the United States Prince Khalid bin Salman returned to Washington on Wednesday.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/12/saudi-ambassador-returns-washington/577513/
Russia warned the U.S. against any effort to influence the royal succession in Saudi Arabia, offering its support to embattled Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who’s under continuing pressure over the killing of a government critic.
Russia has built increasingly close ties to Saudi Arabia since King Salman appointed Prince Mohammed as his heir, turning the 33-year-old into the oil-rich kingdom’s de facto ruler. The two countries have cooperated in limiting oil production to support prices under the OPEC+ arrangement and Putin is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia next year.
Last month at the G-20 summit in Argentina, Putin and Prince Mohammed greeted each other with broad grins and a high five handshake even as the Saudi crown prince faced a chilly reception from other leaders in the wake of the Khashoggi killing.
It is not only Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud that they are thinking about.