Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman discussed oil strategy ahead of the OPEC+ meet. The Kremlin said the two leaders, in a phone call, discussed cooperation with OPEC+ group of oil producing countries in order to maintain price stability. Russia and Saudi Arabia have been deepening ties since the start of the Ukraine war and Riyadh has increasingly been defying demands of Western allies. Last year, at the Vienna summit OPEC+ announced an oil production cut of 2 million barrels a day, signalling a clear shift in Riyadh’s policies towards Washington.