In spring 2020 (pandemic start), Saudi-Russian cooperation looked fragile when bin Salman tried to flood the oil market after failing to reach agreement with Putin, but Trump put OPEC+ back together by threatening military withdrawal unless Saudis cooperated, and OPEC+ has remained cohesive since.
factualpending
Speaker
Helen ThompsonEvidence Quote
“bin Salman trying to flood the market with oil after you can't reach an agreement with Putin about how to deal with the pandemic, and then you effectively have Donald Trump putting OPEC+ back together again... threaten the Saudis with military withdrawal, or less military support.”
Source
Helen Thompson: "The Complex History of Energy and Geopolitics" | The Great Simplification #98— Nate HagensCreated: 8/12/2026, 6:08:12 PM
My Notes
Loading notes...