![Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia on 27 August 2019 [Metin Akta/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/d2.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/20190827_2_37929616_47089085.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia can play a key role in the Middle East as it has good relations with Iran and the Arab world, Reuters reports.
He was speaking in an interview with Arab broadcasters, including Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV, ahead of his first visit to Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
Putin said nobody in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates wanted a confrontation with Iran. He also said Russia was working on a free trade zone with Israel and Egypt, similar to one between Russia and Iran.