Russia's Putin to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Argentina

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Argentina during the G20 summit, where the two leaders will talk about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Moscow has confirmed.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the two leaders would meet during the summit taking place this week, where they will also discuss the war in Syria and oil production matters.

"The political dialogue [between Russia and Saudi Arabia] is regular and substantive. On October 5, 2017, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the first time made a visit to Russia. Vladimir Putin's possible return visit to Saudi Arabia is on the agenda," Ushakov said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

But he also said that the killing of Khashoggi would be discussed in the meeting.

"They will certainly discuss the issue," he said.

Saudi Arabia's crown prince arrived in Argentina on Wednesday - two days before the summit begins - appearing to cut short a visit to other Arab countries en route to South America.

Human Rights Watch has urged Argentina to prosecute the crown prince for crimes against humanity.

It cites the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen and his alleged involvement in the murder of Khashoggi on 2 October at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul as reasons for the complaint.

Saudi Arabia and Russia has struck a close relationship under King Salman and his son Prince Mohammed, with Putin expected to visit Riyadh at some point.

The two energy giants have also agreed on oil production strategies to stabilise the market.

Riyadh has also agreed to purchase the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles system, breaking with its reliance on Western military equipment.

President Putin has remained quiet following the murder of Khashoggi, with government departments of some countries in the West and media blaming bin Salman about the murder.