MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/. Saudi Arabia has not responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to buy Russian S-300 or S-400 systems yet. Contacts on military-technical cooperation between the two countries will continue, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

"There wasn’t any," the Kremlin spokesman said in response to the question whether there was any reaction from Saudi Arabia to Putin’s proposal.

Peskov noted that the sides intend to work to extend cooperation in different areas. "Cooperation is being carried out in rather sensitive areas as well, such as [military]-technical cooperation. Contacts on this account are carried out and will continue," he highlighted.

“Relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia are advanced and multifaceted. Both Moscow and Riyadh intend to further work on expanding cooperation in various areas, such as the economy, investment and trade,” Peskov said. He added that “there is great progress here and there are plans to cultivate this cooperation.”

“As for some sort of mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, this was not discussed [at Putin’s negotiations in Ankara on Monday,] and neither side expressed such aspirations,” Peskov reported.

On Monday, during the trilateral summit in Ankara, Putin said that Russia was ready to help the Saudis defend themselves if the kingdom decides to buy Russian arms. “As for helping Saudi Arabia, the holy Quran speaks of the unacceptability of any kind of violence, except for the protection of one’s own. In order to protect your own and your country, we are ready to offer such corresponding assistance to Saudi Arabia. So, the political administration of Saudi Arabia should just make a wise government decision, the way the Iranian government did in the past, having purchased [our] S-300s, and just as [Turkish] President [Tayyip] Erdogan did by buying the advanced S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft weapon systems. They will surely protect any of Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure facilities,” Putin highlighted. 

In the early hours of September 14, ten drones attacked the facilities of the Saudi Aramco oil company in the east of the country. The world’s largest refining complex near Abqaiq where many Western experts live and the oil refinery in Khurais, where the second largest oil field of the kingdom is located, came under fire, sparking a major blaze. Rebels from the Yemeni movement Ansar Allah (the Houthi movement) claimed responsibility for the UAV strike.