Saudi Arabia confirmed today that it is in talks with Russia over the possible purchase of Russian weapons for the first time and welcomed Moscow’s offer to help develop nuclear energy.Two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal confirmed to reporters.He did not give details, but a diplomatic source had earlier said Putin’s talks during his first visit to Saudi Arabia were expected to lead to a “verbal understanding“ on the sale of about 150 Russian T-90 battle tanks to the oil-rich kingdom.tests were carried out on the T-90 in Saudi Arabia last year to determine the tank’s suitability for harsh desert conditions, and Russia is also looking to sell Mi-17 helicopters. Putin held a one-on-one meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz before leaving Riyadh on Monday for Qatar on the second leg of a Middle East tour that also took in Jordan.In remarks to a Saudi-Russian business forum, Putin also offered to help Saudi Arabia develop civilian nuclear energy.
“On the nuclear issue, there was a contact with the kingdom and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council during the visit,“ Prince Faisal said.
He recalled that the six oil-rich PGCC states had decided during a summit in Riyadh two months ago to pursue nuclear energy technology in accordance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and other international protocols “without going into the issue of weapons“.