Russian strongman pours tea for Saudi king

Photos show Putin personally pour a cup of tea for his royal guest at the Kremlin Palace.

The tea session was followed by a large celebratory reception for King Salman’s official visit to the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Saudi Arabia’s King Salman for talks at the Kremlin on , cementing a relationship that is pivotal for world oil prices and could decide the outcome of the conflict in Syria.King Salman, the first sitting Saudi monarch ever to visit Russia, led a delegation to Moscow that agreed joint investment deals worth several billion dollars, providing much-needed investment for a Russian economy battered by low oil prices and Western sanctions.Saudi Arabia said it had signed a memorandum of understanding on the purchase from Russia of S-400 air defense systems. That marked a shift for the kingdom, which buys most of its military kit from the United States and Britain.

On the political front, there was no sign of any substantial breakthrough on the issues that have long divided Moscow and Riyadh, including the fact that they back rival sides in Syria’s war.However, any discord was eclipsed by mutual expressions of respect, and the pomp and ceremony laid on by Russian officials to greet the Saudi king. Web Desk/ Reuters