Experts assessed the results of the interaction between Russia and the US in Riyadh on the Middle East

Russia discussed with the United States a number of important issues on cooperation in the Middle East during the February 18 talks in Riyadh. Sergey Balmasov, an expert of the Middle East Institute and the Russian International Affairs Council, told Izvestia on February 19.

According to the expert, mutual interest in the region for Russia and the United States is also the issue of forming the cost of energy carriers.

"Here our task is to keep prices balanced, we don't need a hydrocarbon war. The same [US President Donald] Trump, <...> would not need it now," he said.

In addition, he emphasized that the Russian Federation and the US are equally interested in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the situation in the Gaza Strip.

He also noted that the Russian Federation should take advantage of the lack of a unified position on some world problems among Western countries. Among other things, it should protect its interests in the Middle East, the expert said.

Stanislav Tarasov, an expert on the problems of the Middle East and the Caucasus, told Izvestia that Saudi Arabia has established itself as the leader of the region and one of the participants in major world events.

Listening and hearing each other. How the meeting with the US delegation ended

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that at the February 18 talks in Riyadh, the Russian and American delegations, among others, made the first steps in working on cooperation on the Middle East. In particular, they discussed the situation in Syria, the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and other issues.

Thetalks between the delegations of Russia and the United States in Riyadh took place on February 18. One of the main topics was the restoration of dialog between Moscow and Washington. The parties also managed to agree on the establishment of negotiating groups on Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the talks the beginning of work to solve global problems created by the previous US president Joe Biden and his administration.