The signing of the agreement on military cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia, which took place in August during the International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2021”, indicates the readiness of Riyadh to diversify its relations in the defense sphere and go beyond the long-standing focus on Washington, the American edition of Breaking Defense writes.
The publication notes that the signing of the document took place against the background of the withdrawal of the US military from Afghanistan, MIM-104 Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile systems from the Middle East. The publication admits that the expansion of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Russia indicates the success of the latter and may pose a danger to the United States.
Experts interviewed by Breaking Defense suggested that Riyadh would not risk aggravating relations with Washington, preferring to buy from Moscow not fighter jets and missile defense systems, but drones and helicopters. The publication notes that the agreement between Russia and Saudi Arabia may be a signal for the United States, and the interaction of Riyadh with Moscow may be symbolic.
In August, the Polish publication Defence24 noted that military-technical cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia could be a blow to the United States.
