PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday hosted Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris, seeking to nudge the great leader of the oil-rich kingdom into more vocal support of Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
The visit of the 37-year-old Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom came less than a year after his last visit to the Elysee Palace and underscored the warm relationship between Riyadh.
Over their lunch at the Elysee, the French president is also expected to seek support from MBS to find a solution in the search for a new president in Lebanon, a stalemate causing increasing irritation for France.
While in France to attend the Paris summit on June 22-23, the crown prince would also attend an official Saudi reception for Riyadh’s candidacy to host Expo 2030, a bid for which Saudi Arabia needs strong French support.
MBS could reside in France with ease, given he owns the opulent 7,000-square-metre (75,000 square foot) Chateau Louis XIV near Versailles outside Paris, a modern building that seeks to replicate the look of French imperial palaces.
A French presidential official, who wished not to be named, said Paris wanted MBS to understand the scale of the Ukraine issue and particularly getting the outcome of the war, which means a victory for Ukraine on the ground.
“We are going to tell him how important the Ukraine issue is and how Saudi Arabia could exert influence all concerned sides including Russia,” added the official.
