Putin says he doesn't know who attacked Saudi oil plants

Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists on Sunday that he had no information regarding the perpetrator of last month's attacks on Saudi oil facilities, during his first visit  

Saudi Arabia in more than a decade, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Arab broadcasters on Sunday he had no information regarding the perpetrator of last month's attack on Saudi oil facilities.

The 14 September attacks on the Saudi state-owned oil company, Aramco, were claimed by the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, but Riyadh and Washington pointed fingers at Tehran.

"It is wrong to determine who is guilty before it is known reliably and clearly who is behind this act," Putin said.

"Imagine, we don't know. The next day, I asked the head of the foreign intelligence service and the defence minister. 'No, we don't know,'" Reuters reported using transcripts provided by Al-Arabiya.

The president's visit to Riyadh on Monday will highlight Moscow' growing presence in the region, as the US withdraws.

Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to discuss geopolitical topics such as the arms trade, and cooperation on energy policy.

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Putin also underlined Moscow's interest in playing a central role in easing regional tensions, citing its good ties with both camps - the Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab state and the Shi’ite Iran. 

These tensions escalated since the US withdrawal from the 2015 international nuclear accord with Iran, concluding with sanctions reinstated against Tehran by the Trump administration. 

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