Russian Media Outlet Topwar.ru: 'Saudi Arabia's King Flew To Moscow To Surrender To The Mercy Of The Winner'

An article in the Russian media outlet Topwar.ru, "Saudi Arabia's King Flew To Moscow To Surrender To The Mercy Of The Winner," by analyst Yury Podolyaka,[1] asserts that Saudi King Salman went to Russia to "bow" before "the new lord" of the Middle East – Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, it states, King Salman did not visit Russia out of choice, but out of necessity.

The article goes on to explain that Saudi Arabia has been left alone by the U.S., its traditional ally, and that therefore the Saudi king was obliged to seek "guarantees" for his kingdom from Putin, "the most influential person" in the Middle East – "[s]omeone who, unlike their previous masters [i.e. the U.S.], follows the rule to keep his word," it said.

The following are excerpts from the article:[2]

Saudi King Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Source:Tass.com)

"Moscow Outplayed Washington In The Middle East"

"The smile of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov does not bode well for his counterpart, the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Once again, Moscow outplayed Washington in the Middle East. First Turkey, then Qatar, and now one of the last allies of the United States, Saudi Arabia, in the person of the feeble King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, came to bow and scrape before the new lord of the region, Russian President Vladimir Putin. He arrived not out of choice, but of necessity. Having suffered defeats on all external fronts and facing a very likely intra-family fight for the throne, Saudi Arabia yearns for peace -- on the best terms possible.

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov (Source: Topwar.ru)

"A few months ago things were completely different. Donald Trump's Middle East tour appeared to have restored the Saudi princes' will to fight and their prospects for success. The U.S. President joined in their traditional war-dance and signed a huge arms deal with them. Unlike his predecessor, he was warmly welcomed, named a friend, and then sent on to Tel Aviv.

T
rump joins the traditional Saudi sword dance with Saudi King Salman during his first foreign trip in May 2017. (Source: Topwar.ru)

"This first foreign tour of the newly elected President Trump (!!!) essentially resulted in a creation of the 'cordial' union between the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel, and his future actions got a whole new meaning. Its main purpose was to oppose the 'Shiite Crescent' that had significantly strengthened in recent years. Iran, isolated and therefore not dangerous until recently, had found new influential allies in Russia and Turkey.

"The war in Syria that had been virtually won, turned into a crushing defeat for American diplomacy. Yes, American policy in the region is suffering a crushing defeat, which increasingly looks like a rout. Almost all of the hotspots created by Washington in the Middle East since 2011 are now neutralized, or close to that.

"The 'Kurdistan' project is unlikely to succeed in the long term (even if today we can see desperate attempts to get it off the ground), since no reliable supply routes for this entity through southern Jordan could be established. And for that we can thank Russian, Iranian and Syrian military forces.

"Yemen Has Turned Into A Veritable Afghanistan For Saudi Arabia"

"In the meantime, Yemen has turned into a veritable 'Afghanistan' for Saudi Arabia. The country is getting drawn into this war deeper and deeper and is sustaining substantial losses as a result. Entering Yemen was easy, but getting out proved much less so. The ground forces got stuck in the mountains. Highly mobile units of Houthi guerrillas keep crossing the border and attacking the positions of the Saudi army on its own territory. The kingdom's fleet, having suffered damage to several warships, was unable to reliably block the coast occupied by the Houthis. By now it is clear to everybody that the blitzkrieg has failed, the war is dragging out, and Riyadh has no good prospects for its completion.

"On the contrary, the longer it lasts, the more obvious it becomes that the end of the war in Syria will have the most negative impact on the Saudi prospects in Yemen. Many units of Shia volunteers will be redeployed to the south of the Arabian Peninsula and they will try to turn the tide of war in favor of the insurgents. The war must be ended quickly, before the draw turns into a crushing defeat."

"The Orient Always Bows Before Strength"

Saudi King Salman meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin (Source: Topwar.ru)

"Probably, Qatar's (a small but very influential emirate) open shift to the opposite side became the last straw that broke Riyadh's will to fight. This summer, it tried in a last-ditch effort to put pressure on the official Doha. An ultimatum was declared and was promptly ignored. Riyadh received no support from its new-old 'allies,' At the same time, the Moscow-Tehran-Ankara axis was functioning perfectly. Tehran provided humanitarian assistance to Qatar, and Ankara supplied military aid. Russia provided diplomatic cover, and Saudi Arabia had to retreat, however reluctantly. And then it was time to concede defeat.

"The Orient always bows before strength. And that is exactly why the Saudi King is in Moscow... [To] try to bargain to obtain guarantees for his kingdom and his family from the most influential person in the Middle East – someone who, unlike their previous masters, follows the rule to keep his word.

"There are no insignificant details in diplomacy. Everything matters, Sergey Lavrov's smile as well as the solemn reception given by the winner to his defeated opponent. Russia is not going to finish off Saudi Arabia, what good will that do? It needs a new stable Middle East that poses no threat to its southern borders. And once everything here settles down, it will be time to start an active game on the western border. By then, all preparations for a push westward will be completed; we will take up this subject in one of the next articles."