Given the historic summit between Saudi Arabia and Russia in early October — the first time a sitting Saudi king has visited the Kremlin — one cannot help but notice the bid under the price of oil. These two countries are constantly in a tight race for the spot of the No. 1 global oil producer. The Russians have come a long way since their production imploded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and they are making their presence felt on the global stage both geopolitically and in the energy markets . The Saudis have finally realized that they will have to deal with Vladimir Putin. The fact that they signed a memorandum of understanding for the purchase of a highly advanced S-400 air defense system shows a key turning point in Saudi-Russia relations; the desert kingdom had previously sourced most of its defense purchases from the United States and the United Kingdom.via