physics

Russia–Saudi Arabia relations

Russia–Saudi Arabia relations is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Russia–Saudi Arabia relations rather than just read about it. In short: Russia–Saudi Arabia relations (Russian: Российско-саудовские отношения, Arabic: العلاقات السعودية الروسية) are the bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two countries are referred to as the two petroleum superpowers and account for about a quarter of the world's crude oil production between them.

Key takeaways

Russia–Saudi Arabia relations belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Russia–Saudi Arabia relations to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Russia–Saudi Arabia relations from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Russia–Saudi Arabia relations (Russian: Российско-саудовские отношения, Arabic: العلاقات السعودية الروسية) are the bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two countries are referred to as the two petroleum superpowers and account for about a quarter of the world's crude oil production between them.

Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union

The first country to establish full diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd (the name of the Saudi state until 1932) was the Soviet Union. The relations began in 1926 as a means for Moscow to stand up to the UK. The first Consul General was Karim Khakimov, a Soviet Muslim of Tatar descent sometimes called the Soviet Lawrence of Arabia, who in February 1926 drove through gunfire from Jeddah to Ibn Saud's residence in the desert to hand over a formal note recognising his status as king. Relations improved further when in June 1926 the Pan-Islamic Congress of Mecca was called to resolve the dispute over control of the holy sites of Mecca and Medina. The Soviet Union, with its 30 million Soviet Muslims, supported Ibn Saud by sending six Soviet Islamic scholars to take part in the congress, contrary to its atheistic ideology. Using the Soviet influence to spread Communist propaganda among Hajj pilgrims was unsuccessful so the diplomatic focus turned to the creation of trade links between Soviet Black Sea ports and Hejaz. Ibn Saud's son Prince Faisal (who became king in 1964) visited the Soviet Union in 1932 during his extensive European trip. King Abdulaziz used Moscow's offer of one million British pounds in financial aid as leverage with London and never accepted the USSR's offer. However, relations cooled later on; in 1932, the Soviet Muslims were unofficially banned from performing Hajj. Khakimov returned to Jeddah as the Head of Mission in 1935, and tried to renew the relationship, but Moscow was no longer interested in new trade contracts. Joseph Stalin, who was never convinced of the value of the USSR's presence in the Gulf, saw the partnership with King Abdulaziz and political ambitions for the Gulf as disposable political gambits that Moscow thought would enhance relations with the British, whose support the Soviet Union sought against Germany. Khakimov was recalled to Moscow for a routine visit in 1937 and arrested on suspicion of being a spy; he and his colleague Turyakulov fell victim to Stalin's political terror. Turyakulov was executed in October 1937 and Khakimov the following January. King Abdulaziz was outraged at the killing of these two Soviet diplomats whom he considered his friends. Two months after Khakimov's execution American geologists discovered the world's largest deposits of crude oil in Dhahran prompting the Soviet Union to appoint a new head of mission in Jeddah in 1938. King Abdulaziz refused to accept anyone other than Khakimov or Turyakulov and months later broke diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union, accusing Moscow of inciting a revolution in the Muslim world. With the USSR out of the way, Britain and latterly the US took over the development and exploitation of Saudi oil. Relations were especially strained from 1979, during the Soviet–Afghan War, with Saudi Arabia supporting the Afghan Mujahideen in close cooperation with the United States. In 1990, relations between Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union were restored after 52 years of breakup. Despite a lack of relations, about 20 Soviet Muslims were allowed to annually make the Hajj from 1946 until 1990 when liberalization allowed thousands of Soviet Muslims to attend.

Saudi Arabia and Russia

In the first 25 years since establishment in 1992, Russian-Saudi relations never developed beyond symbolic visits. Though during Saudi King Salman 2017 visit to Moscow, he did bring a 1,500-strong delegation; however, the Moscow-Riyadh agreement paled in comparison to Saudi arms contracts with the US. Russian President Vladimir Putin met King Abdullah in Riyadh during a high level delegation visit on 11–12 February 2007. It was the first official visit for a Russian leader to the Kingdom. The visit was an opportunity for Moscow to improve its relations with Riyadh regarding various areas, including regional security issues, energy, trade, transportation, scientific cooperation and exchanges. King Abdullah's visit to Russia in 2003, as Crown Prince, was an opening in high level contacts between the countries which did not have diplomatic ties from 1938 until 1990.

Syrian Civil War, military cooperation

Relations between the two countries became strained during the Syrian Civil War, in which Russia and its ally Iran put their support behind Syria's government and President Bashar al-Assad while Saudi Arabia along with Qatar and Turkey backed insurgents in Syria. Saudi Arabia, prior to Russia's direct military intervention in Syria in September 2015, was reported to have sought to use its offer to reduce its oil production in exchange for Russia dropping its support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a proposal that Russia rejected. In February 2016, Saudi Arabia offered for the first time to send ground troops to Syria; a Saudi official confirmed that Riyadh had sent warplanes to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, a move considered as preparation for an incursion into Syria and seen as inimical to Russia's as well as Iran's interests. Russia reacted to the reports with public sarcasm alluding to the Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen. Relations improved significantly in 2017 as Russia's influence in the Middle East rose following military success in Syria as a result of its intervention in the Syrian conflict on the side of the Bashar al-Assad government, on whose removal from power Saudi Arabia had insisted prior. Military issues were among the topics of discussions held by Vladimir Putin and Saudi defence minister deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Moscow on 30 May 2016. Russia and Saudi Arabia have taken similar approaches to North Africa, strongly supporting the military rule of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Egypt following the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état. Similarly, both Russia and Saudi Arabia have supported Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan National Army in the Second Libyan Civil War. In January 2020, Le Monde reported that Saudi Arabia was helping finance the activities of the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, in supporting Haftar in Libya.

Coordination on oil markets (2016–2022)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Russia–Saudi Arabia relations

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Russia–Saudi Arabia relations claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Russia–Saudi Arabia relations before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Russia–Saudi Arabia relations ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Russia–Saudi Arabia relations

In research: Russia–Saudi Arabia relations appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Russia–Saudi Arabia relations in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Russia–Saudi Arabia relations is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bilateral relations of Russia, Bilateral relations of Saudi Arabia, Energy in Saudi Arabia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Russia–Saudi Arabia relations outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Russia–Saudi Arabia relations” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Russia–Saudi Arabia relations in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Russia–Saudi Arabia relations means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Russia–Saudi Arabia relations out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Russia–Saudi Arabia relations in simple terms?

Why does Russia–Saudi Arabia relations matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Russia–Saudi Arabia relations?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Russia–Saudi Arabia relations.