Russia, Saudi Arabia Urge Global Action to Prevent Middle East Escalation

In a post on X, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said, "On March 10, Sergey Lavrov & Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan spoke over the phone. The Foreign Ministers emphasized the need to consolidate the efforts of the international community to prevent further deterioration of the situation in the Middle East."

This comes as earlier on March 10, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday cautioned Russia against intervening in the ongoing conflict in West Asia amid rising tensions involving Iran with the US and Israel.

His remarks came during a Pentagon briefing, following questions about a recent telephone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hegseth described the call as a "strong call" that reaffirmed the possibility of peace in Russia's war with Ukraine and underlined that Russia should not become involved in the Iran conflict.

"The [US] president, as I've said before, maintains strong relationships with world leaders, which creates opportunities and options for us in very dynamic ways. The President said it was a good call. I was not on it, but those who were said it was a strong call reaffirming, hopefully, the opportunity for some peace in Russia and Ukraine and also a recognition that, as it pertains to this conflict, they should not be involved," Hegseth said.

Putin received a telephone call from US President Donald Trump on March 10, where the two leaders discussed the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine, Russia Today reported, citing Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

As per Russia Today, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told journalists that the American president initiated the call to discuss the latest international developments. The conversation between the two focused on the Iran conflict and trilateral talks between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv aimed at settling the Ukraine conflict.

According to Russian News Agency TASS, Ushakov said, "Tonight, a phone call of the Russian and US presidents has taken place. The conversation was businesslike, open and constructive, which is usually the case in dialogue between the Russian and US leaders."

Putin had a phone call with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, as per a statement by Kremlin.

"During Vladimir Putin's telephone conversation with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the leaders had a thorough discussion of the escalation in the Middle East resulting from the United States and Israel's armed aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement read.

Separately, on March 9, Lavrov held talks with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister.

In a statement by the Russian MFA, it said, "The ministers compared notes on key items on the global and Middle East agendas focusing on the situation in Syria, Yemen and the Palestinian-Israeli settlement. They agreed to maintain close coordination of Moscow and Riyadh's efforts at promoting a comprehensive and sustainable settlement of numerous regional conflicts through an inclusive and equal dialogue based on the stakeholders' legitimate interests and concerns.

- ANI