As Saudi Crisis Grows, Kremlin Keeps Its Bet on Crown Prince - Bloomberg

As Saudi Crisis Grows, Kremlin Keeps Its Bet on Crown Prince - Bloomberg:

As pressure mounts on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of a journalist critic, he’s finding strong support in Russia, where the Kremlin is betting the embattled young heir it’s invested heavily in courting is likely to emerge from the controversy unscathed and possibly even strengthened.

The 33-year-old prince, in an effort to outmaneuver the growing ranks of his opponents in the elite at home, is likely to push to take over the throne as early as the next few months, while King Salman, his father, is still alive, according to a specialist on the Mideast who’s a close policy adviser to top Kremlin officials. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential matters. Two other people familiar with Kremlin thinking confirmed that Moscow expects the prince to emerge from the crisis undiminished.

Having cultivated the prince as a key ally in its quest for closer ties with another of the world’s top oil producers, Moscow is hoping to capitalize on that relationship as his power grows. But it’s a difficult balancing act, given the deep tensions between Saudi Arabia and two of Russia’s other friends in the region -- Iran and Turkey. The Kremlin also risks being caught out if the prince loses power at home and if the Saudis patch up ties with their longtime ally, the U.S.