How did Russia become a preferred partner for OPEC?

During the OPEC meeting in Vienna in December 2018, the organization was in danger of collapse, but Russia emerged to save the situation even though it was not a member of the organization.

A report by The Wall Street Journal said that as oil prices fell on global markets and production was rejected by some member states - like Iran, Venezuela and Libya - US President Donald Trump pushed more pressure on Saudi Arabia to keep prices low.

As the negotiations reached a point close to failure, Russia intervened to play the role of savior even though it was not a member of the organization. President Vladimir Putin agreed to cut production alongside OPEC provided Iran was allowed to continue pumping its oil.

In fact, there have been no previous reports on the importance of that crucial meeting and the important role played by Russia in resolving the crisis, but what happened behind closed doors last December was a pivotal moment in Russia's transformation from a country that had never cooperated with OPEC at all To what has become an indispensable partner.

As the cartel of major oil producers swings from crisis to crisis and oil prices fall, not to mention changes in the system of some member countries, OPEC's internal problems and Trump's repeated attacks, Russia has found an opportunity to use its influence as a key country Producing oil and lend a helping hand, the report says.

"Russia is currently playing an important role in tackling OPEC's problems," the paper quoted Helima Croft, head of commodity strategy at Royal Canadian Bank, as saying.

Recently, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih joked that he was talking to his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak more than some of his colleagues in the Saudi cabinet. "We met 12 times in 2018," he told a news conference in March.

A new partnership
At the next OPEC meeting in May, Russian and Saudi officials will discuss whether the alliance, which is still a temporary one, should be formalized, the report says.

For decades, the US has supported Saudi Arabia as one of its closest geopolitical allies by selling arms and encouraging them to be a driving force for stability in the Middle East.

Washington, meanwhile, expects Riyadh to provide a stable supply of oil to global markets, which help it curb high oil prices and avoid possible damage to the US economy.

Given Saudi Arabia's new partnership with Russia, the kingdom is no longer a city of credit to the United States alone.

Under Trump, the United States no longer follows the non-interference approach to OPEC. Trump published many Twitter tweets urging increased production to cut oil prices. He also phoned the Saudi government to demand an intensification of production.

The killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October led to a new row between Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Saudi Arabia has cut output more than promised. Although Russia has pledged to cut production by 230,000 bpd, it cut it by 120,000 barrels per day in March alone, according to OPEC officials and Russia.

But Saudi officials said Riyadh was ready to ignore Russia's non-compliance with the terms of the deal, which needed to be backed by the international community.

"Saudi Arabia can not afford to lose Russia as an ally," one Saudi official said.