Nearly six months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine that sparked sanctions and isolation from many Western states, Russia has remained focused on the Gulf Arab countries. This is clear in the consistent coverage of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain in Russian propaganda media. This content often reflects Russia’s foreign policy interests and its global outlook. Russian propaganda messaging on the largest state of the Gulf – Saudi Arabia – in recent months shows a duality in narratives regarding the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.
Saudi Arabia in the U.S. Sphere of Influence
Russia media has regularly situated Saudi Arabia within a narrative of the great powers and their puppet states, with Saudi Arabia in the U.S. sphere of influence. For example, in an August 2 article in Eurasia Daily, Saudi Arabia was among a number of countries explicitly framed as a U.S. vassal. The piece discussed international reactions after the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri and stated that the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Canada haven’t hidden their joy.
Similarly, an August 16 article in Izvestia urged people not to be too hopeful about investments made by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in the Russian oil and gas industry. The article cited a comment by Sergey Demidenko, dean of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, that Russia shouldn’t expect much development in economic relations with Saudi Arabia because its economic elite is tightly connected to the U.S. economic elite, and it is a country that is closely integrated into the international financial system. Therefore, he asserted Saudi Arabia won’t risk triggering U.S. sanctions.
Furthermore, on August 6 the Russian news agency Itar-Tass published a commentary by military commentator Viktor Litovkin and the head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis Alexander Mikhailov. They mentioned Saudi Arabia’s interest in the Russian S-400 air defense system, however, they indirectly implied that the kingdom likely wouldn’t purchase the weapons system due to U.S. pressure.
Some outlets took a more hostile tone portraying Saudi Arabia as a tool that can be used to bring Russia to its knees. For example, on May 27 The Moscow Times put a spin on an Axios report on the visit of White House Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk and State Department energy envoy Amos Hochstein to Saudi Arabia. The Moscow Times reported that the United States and Saudi Arabia are preparing a secret deal that would plunge global oil prices and could start a recession in Russia similar to the one the Soviet Union experienced after 1985. Underscoring the potential impact of such U.S-Saudi deal making, the article argued that the recession was one factor that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Saudi Arabia Seeks to Resist U.S. Control and Build Closer Ties With Russia
Though clearly depicting Saudi Arabia as a U.S. vassal state, Russian media also sought to create an image of reluctance. Media outlets suggested Saudi Arabia was increasingly turning its back on the United States and resisting its demands regarding oil production. Simultaneously articles argued that Saudi Arabia is interested in building constructive relations with Russia and helping it to escape from Western sanctions.
For example, on June 1 Izvestia, citing an anonymous source, reported that the United States had requested that Saudi Arabia increase oil supplies to the European Union and exclude Russia from any new deal with the OPEC+ alliance of OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers in exchange for unblocking U.S. offensive weapon deliveries. However, the report stated that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rejected this proposal due to personal resentment for President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and the risk of causing an uncontrolled increase in oil prices.
Russian outlets paid particular attention to Biden’s visit to the Middle East, which was framed as a humiliating failure. On July 21, Pravda featured an interview with Ariel Cohen of the Atlantic Council (originally posted by the internet TV Ukrlife). According to him, Mohammed bin Salman made a rude gesture in response to Biden’s demand to increase oil production. Lenta.ru went even further reporting on a Foreign Policy article comparing Biden’s and Putin’s visits to the Middle East, arguing that the Saudis now have a greater alignment of interests with the Russians on oil prices than with the United States on regional security issues.
Finally, Russian media also discussed direct oil trade between Russia and Saudi Arabia. On July 27 Sputnik featured an analysis, originally published by the American Thinker, about Russia’s increasing oil exports to Saudi Arabia arguing that Western sanctions are counterproductive. Using the existing financial gaps within the structure of these sanctions, Russia can still export its oil at a lower price to Saudi Arabia, which will use the Russian oil for domestic consumption. It then frees up more oil that Saudi Arabia can sell on the international market with inflated prices, making it a win-win situation. This issue was framed as part of a larger fuel war between Russia and the West in which Russia and Saudi Arabia have effectively worked together to nullify the effect of Western sanctions and have caused Washington and Brussels to suffer losses.
Dual Narratives
Russian propaganda messaging largely featured these two largely complementary narratives. On the one hand, it sought to reinforce the view of Russian leadership and frame Saudi Arabia as a dangerous client of the United States. At the same time, Russian media suggested Saudi Arabia was increasingly rejecting U.S. influence and seeking to build constructive relations with Russia.
The war in Ukraine and the imperative of maintaining the image of Russia winning the geopolitical game it has gotten itself into, taken together, help explain this narrative duality. Namely, the Russian leadership seems to be trying to convince audiences – particularly inside Russia – that even the closest U.S. allies are unwilling to participate in the international sanctions regime and turn their backs on Moscow. This broad assertion can be easily integrated into the traditional Russian narrative of the emerging multipolar world order in which Russia asserts its position and influence. Since the conflict in Ukraine is often pitched in Russia as a proxy war against the West, Moscow may be seeking to reduce war weariness by showcasing the gradual weakening of the enemy.
