Russia offers Middle East a card in US game

Opec+ cut agreement suggests Moscow’s Middle Eastern stock remains high

A growing rift between the US and Saudi Arabia appears to be precipitating a wider political shift in the Middle East. Counter-intuitively, Russia’s clout as a possible power broker and a sought-after partner is growing, even after a disastrous military campaign in Ukraine that has exposed major shortcomings in its military and left Moscow more isolated than ever elsewhere across the globe. Analysts and Gulf officials admit that the Opec+ supply cut of 2mn bl/d, announced in early October, is mostly symbolic due to existing underproduction. Yet its political repercussions, with agreement between former energy export rivals Russia and Saudi Arabia continuing to hold firm—and jointly thumbing