Russian President Vladimir Putin has wrapped up a visit to Saudi Arabia. He traveled to Riyadh on Monday. Some 20 agreements were signed at a ceremony at the royal palace. The contracts are worth billions of dollars, covering fields like aerospace, health, and agriculture. Putin also signed a key oil deal with Saudi Arabia to bolster cooperation among OPEC+ countries.

The U.S. is withdrawing from Syria, and the Syrian government deal with the Kurds may lead to consolidation of power by President Bashar Al Assad, who is backed by Russia. Are the Assad government and Russia turning out to be the biggest to gain from the Middle Eastern power struggle? Doctor Imad Salamey, a senior Middle East policy advisor and associate professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Lebanese American University, joined Global Watch and provided some insights.