Meeting With Saudi Crown Prince ‘Very Productive’- Blinken

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday says he held a “very productive” meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, a critical diplomatic engagement as Israel prepared to launch a ground assault in the Gaza Strip and Washington worked to contain the conflict.

“Very productive,” Blinken replied to a question from a Reuters reporter as he returned to the hotel where the U.S. delegation was staying.

A U.S. Official said the meeting lasted for just under an hour and took place at the Crown Prince’s private farm residence.

“The two affirmed their shared commitment to protecting civilians and to advancing stability across the Middle East and beyond,” the State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

The top U.S. diplomat’s meeting on Sunday with the Kingdom’s de-facto ruler comes as the region is on the brink of a further escalation with Gaza, a home to 2.3 million Palestinians, bracing for Israel’s ground offensive.

REUTERS