“As for the visit to Saudi Arabia, we attach great importance to this. This is in a sense a return visit - after the visit of the King of Saudi Arabia, the Guardian of two shrines to Russia. It was the first, historical, in fact, visit. We call it a historic visit - the way it is, ”he said.
As the President of Russia noted, in Soviet times, between Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union, "relations were at a fairly low level."
“In recent years, the quality of our relations has changed dramatically. We view Saudi Arabia as a friendly state for us, ”he added.
He also said that he had "very good relations with both the king and the crown prince."
The Kremlin said earlier that Putin will visit Saudi Arabia on October 14, and will leave for the UAE on October 15.
In October 2017, the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdel-Aziz Al Saud, visited Russia.
Read the full interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the RT website on Sunday, October 13.