Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gestures during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Monday Feb. 17, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-18T12:00:47Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Saudi Arabias crown prince may not be inside the room for the first high-level talks between Russia and the United States over Moscows war on Ukraine on Tuesday, but Mohammed bin Salman still wins the day for hosting the gathering that could be a game changer in the bloody conflict.The assertive 39-year-old heir to the throne in the oil-rich kingdom already has taken over Saudi Arabia as its de facto leader under his father, the 89-year-old King Salman. But the princes war in Yemen and the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence agencies believe came at his orders, tarnished his reputation internationally. Crown Prince Mohammed now finds himself at the center of the Trump administrations outreach to Russia, a country Saudi Arabia carefully maintained ties to during the war through the OPEC+ oil cartel. The prince likely caught President Donald Trumps attention when he announced plans for a $600 billion investment in the United States prompting the American leaders musings about whether to make Saudi Arabia the location for his first foreign trip in this presidency. And with Trump suggesting his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin something Moscow hopes can bring it in from the cold of Western nations will take place in Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed is likely to remain a top player. As the summit opened, the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced that upon directives from the royal, talks between Russa and the U.S. are taking place in Riyadh as part of the kingdoms ongoing efforts to promote global security and peace firmly putting Prince Mohammeds fingerprints on the proceedings. Risks remain for the princes strategyThe strategy still holds risks for Prince Mohammed, particularly as the shaky ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war that ravaged the Gaza Strip remains in question. Trumps repeated comments that he wants the U.S. to own the Gaza Strip have inflamed the Arab world. The Palestinians want Gaza and the West Bank for a future state, something backed by nearly all of the international community.Also, Saudi state media in recent days have openly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu something that was avoided while Prince Mohammed weighed a possible diplomatic recognition deal with Israel under the Biden administration. The idea of an American ownership of Gaza as muddy as to what that would mean exactly has similarly angered Saudis who support the Palestinians. The Saudi Foreign Ministry, in a quickly reaction to Trumps initial remarks, said its unwavering position is nonnegotiable and not subject to compromises. But the kingdom did not criticize Trump directly. Then theres Trump longstanding criticism of OPEC, in which Saudi Arabia remains the top power. In January, Trump claimed OPEC price cuts would be able to automatically stop the tragedy thats taking place in Ukraine. One way to stop it quickly is for OPEC to stop making so much money and to drop the price of oil, because they have it nice and high, Trump said in January. And if you have it high, that war is not going to end so easily. However, global oil prices are down from highs of over $120 a barrel in 2022 after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, to around $75 a barrel today. The lower prices threaten Prince Mohammeds ambitious projects, including his vision of the futuristic city of Neom, priced at $500 billion. The princes peace push eases the burden on Saudi Arabia During years in the cold after the Khashoggi killing, both Russia and China offered Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed the cachet of being respected by Moscow and Beijing, bypassing persistent human rights concerns of the West. Prince Mohammed has hosted and spoken by phone with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin.Then, a 2023 Chinese-mediated deal on the kingdom reestablishing ties with Iran have Prince Mohammed a new opportunity to show the U.S. that others can shape Mideast politics. It also eased a major security concern for the kingdom after a likely Iranian attack in 2019 temporarily halved the kingdoms oil production. What the kingdom perceived as a slow American response to that attack and others, by the Iran-backed Yemeni rebels, has promoted Saudi Arabia to hedge its risks through outreach to both Western friends and foes alike. In the Saudi-owned, London-published newspaper Asharq Al Awsat, journalist Mishari al-Dhaidi described the summit as restoring dialogue between the two poles of the world and saying exuberantly that it opens a window of hope to let in fresh air and a bright ray that spreads the leaves of optimism.It is a major step on the international political chess arena, revealing the status of Saudi Arabia and its positive influence for the benefit of the people all the people, he wrote.Flowery language aside, Prince Mohammeds strategy appears to be working at the moment regardless of the outcome of Tuesdays meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and Trump himself may turn up sooner or later. ___EDITORS NOTE Jon Gambrell, the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press, has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the Mideast and wider world since joining the AP in 2006. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto