Saudi Arabia Lines Up Energy Deals Before Joint Russia Meeting

The eighth session of the Saudi-Russian Joint Committee in Moscow (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The eighth session of the Saudi-Russian Joint Committee in Moscow (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Lines Up Energy Deals Before Joint Russia Meeting

The eighth session of the Saudi-Russian Joint Committee in Moscow (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The eighth session of the Saudi-Russian Joint Committee in Moscow (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia is preparing a raft of energy agreements to be signed at the upcoming session of the Saudi-Russian Joint Governmental Committee, set to convene in Riyadh in November.

The joint committee, established in 2002, coordinates cooperation in trade, economics, science and technology, as well as in industry, space, information technology, communications, urban development, finance, banking and transport.

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry has instructed private-sector companies to submit all ready-to-sign agreements ahead of the meeting, the sources said.

Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman will chair the session from the Saudi side, while Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak will lead Moscow’s delegation. Novak visited Riyadh in late July for talks with Prince Abdulaziz on bilateral cooperation.

That meeting resulted in direct flights between the two countries and the signing of memoranda of understanding in sectors including industry, education, media and religious tourism.

The ninth session of the Saudi-Russian Joint Committee is scheduled for Nov. 6 in Riyadh. Saudi officials say growing cooperation has helped boost bilateral trade, which exceeded $3.8 billion in 2024, up more than 60% year-on-year, with momentum accelerating at the start of this year.

Saudi-Russian ties date back nine decades and have long been marked by converging interests and shared views, officials from both sides say. The partnership has expanded to harness the vast potential of the two economies, with leaders in Riyadh and Moscow keen to deepen collaboration across multiple sectors.

The committee’s last session, held in Moscow, brought together officials from several government agencies. Discussions focused on energy, trade, investment, information technology, healthcare, education, media, culture, sports, tourism, transport, natural resources, agriculture and other key areas of cooperation.



Putin Says Russia Will Meet Slovakia's Energy Demand

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 9, 2026 (EPA)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 9, 2026 (EPA)
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Putin Says Russia Will Meet Slovakia's Energy Demand

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 9, 2026 (EPA)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 9, 2026 (EPA)

President Vladimir Putin told Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico at a meeting in the Kremlin on Saturday that Russia will do everything to meet Slovakia's energy demand.

Slovakia is among only a few countries in Europe that are still buying Russia's oil and gas. ⁠Slovakia gets Russian ⁠oil via the Soviet-built Druzhba pipeline, while natural gas from Russia flows there through the TurkStream pipeline.

Fico arrived in Moscow for the festivities to ⁠mark the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

"We will do everything to satisfy Slovakia's needs in energy resources," Putin told Fico, who chose not to attend the Victory Parade on Moscow's Red Square, in comments broadcast on national TV.

According to Reuters, Russian state media ⁠had ⁠previously reported that Fico was due to attend the parade.

Slovakia, an EU member, has sought to maintain political ties with Russia and has argued that it would be too costly to wean itself off Russian supplies after building its infrastructure around it.


China Energy Imports Drop in April Amid Iran War as Fuel Exports Hit Decade Low

Oil and gas tanks are seen at an oil warehouse at a port in Zhuhai, China October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song
Oil and gas tanks are seen at an oil warehouse at a port in Zhuhai, China October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song
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China Energy Imports Drop in April Amid Iran War as Fuel Exports Hit Decade Low

Oil and gas tanks are seen at an oil warehouse at a port in Zhuhai, China October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song
Oil and gas tanks are seen at an oil warehouse at a port in Zhuhai, China October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song

China's oil imports fell to the lowest level in almost four years in April as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz choked off supplies to the world's largest oil importer.

Crude oil imports fell 20% in April to 38.5 million metric tons compared to a year earlier, hitting their lowest level since July 2022, according to customs data released on Saturday.

China imports roughly half of its crude oil from the Middle East, where the closure of the strait has slashed the number of tankers ⁠carrying oil and ⁠refined products to the world.

Saturday's data from China does not distinguish between oil arriving by sea and oil coming in via pipeline. Data from ship-tracking firm Kpler, however, puts seaborne crude imports at 8.03 million barrels per day, also the lowest since July 2022, Reuters reported.

Despite the decline in imports, ⁠ship tracker Vortexa estimates crude inventories rose by 17 million barrels in April, although it said those would fall in May.

The disruption in the Middle East has led China to tightly manage exports of refined products such as gasoline or jet fuel to protect its domestic market.

That policy drove refined oil product exports for April down to their lowest in roughly a decade at 3.1 million tons, down by about a third since March.

This may still overestimate ⁠how ⁠much is going to customers in Asia and elsewhere because the data includes shipments to Hong Kong, typically a major destination for China's refined products and excluded from the export controls.

Natural gas imports also fell by 13% to 8.42 million tons, although the data does not separate seaborne liquefied natural gas (LNG) from gas piped overland. China imports significant quantities of LNG from the Middle East Gulf.

China's crude oil imports for the first four months of the year are still tracking 1.3% above last year's level at 185.3 million tons.


Germany's March Exports Rose Despite Fall of Industrial Output

A general view of the Port of Hamburg, in Hamburg, Germany, October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
A general view of the Port of Hamburg, in Hamburg, Germany, October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
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Germany's March Exports Rose Despite Fall of Industrial Output

A general view of the Port of Hamburg, in Hamburg, Germany, October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
A general view of the Port of Hamburg, in Hamburg, Germany, October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

German exports rose unexpectedly in March, official data showed on Friday, lifted by higher demand from Europe, as industrial output fell despite a forecast rise, dampened by a drop in energy production.

German exports rose 0.5% in March over the previous month, boosted by an increase of 3.4% in shipments to other European Union countries, the federal statistics office said. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 1.7% decrease.

“The string of positive figures ⁠continues,” said VP Bank economist Thomas Gitzel, after the statistics office reported on Thursday higher-than-expected growth in March industrial orders.

The rise in new orders makes the drop of 0.7% in industrial production reported on Friday tolerable, he added.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 0.5% increase.

The statistics office attributed the output decrease to a drop in energy production and in machinery and equipment manufacturing.

“These strong orders are expected to boost industrial production - and, by extension, exports - in the coming months,” Gitzel said, though he warned the well-being of German industry hinged on ⁠how much longer the Iran war will persist.

Sentiment indicators point to a second-quarter contraction in industrial output, because of high energy prices and supply bottlenecks resulting from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, said Commerzbank analyst Joerg Kraemer.

A 7.9% month-on-month slump in exports to the United States in ⁠March also showed a clear drag on trade, added Gitzel.

The United States remains the biggest destination for German goods despite the slump, receiving shipments of German goods worth 11.2 billion euros in March.

Imports surged in ⁠March, rising 5.1% compared with expectations for an increase of only 0.8%.

Most imports came from China, accounting for goods worth 15.6 billion euros ($18.31 billion) and marking a 4.9% increase on ⁠the month.

As a result, the foreign trade surplus narrowed more than expected, to 14.3 billion euros ($16.80 billion), from 19.6 billion the month before.