Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday urged stronger political and diplomatic engagement to resolve the ongoing Middle East conflict during a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Amid growing tensions with Western nations following Russia’s military action in Ukraine, Putin has been working to deepen ties across the Middle East, maintaining relationships with both Iran and Gulf countries.

According to a Kremlin statement, both leaders highlighted the urgent need for a ceasefire and called for intensified diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting resolution to the conflict.

The discussion comes as Ukraine continues to resist Russia’s invasion, which began in 2022, and recently entered into an air defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. The Gulf nation has been dealing with repeated drone attacks linked to Iran.

Kyiv is leveraging its experience in intercepting Russian drones to support Gulf states facing similar threats from Iranian-made Shahed drones, widely used in the conflict. Ukraine has also proposed an exchange arrangement, offering its cost-effective drone interception systems in return for more advanced and costly air defence missiles used by Gulf countries.

Putin and the Saudi Crown Prince also addressed concerns over disruptions in global energy supply chains caused by the crisis, warning of their impact on international energy stability.

They reaffirmed the importance of continued collaboration under the OPEC+ framework to help stabilise oil production and pricing worldwide.

Meanwhile, oil prices rose further on Thursday after Donald Trump threatened additional strikes on Iran, reducing expectations of a quick de-escalation in the region.