French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Elysée Palace on Friday.
The two leaders focused on the Middle East and the Ukrainian war, as Macron urged bin Salman to use his influence on Russia, according to an official at the presidential palace.
The Elysée previously highlighted that Saudi Arabia has shown it has “moved” on the Ukrainian crisis.
“What we are asking … is that [Saudi Arabia] helps us accelerate a Ukrainian victory, which would lead to talks between Ukraine and Russia … On the basis of conversations, we know they share this vision,” an official from the Elysée told reporters.
In the same vein, media outlets reported that they touched upon the issues in Lebanon and Iraq, the civil war in Sudan, and ways to alleviate tensions. This is in addition to bilateral ties in different fields, including economic, military, and cultural.
Bin Salman is spending a week in Paris, during which he will attend a reception in the French capital next Monday supporting Saudi Arabia’s candidacy to host the Expo 2030 World Fair.
