US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken described the meeting he had today in Riyadh with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, whose country suspended talks on a possible normalization of its relations with Israel, due to the war with Israel, as “very productive”. Hamas.

Blinken has been touring the Middle East for the past week and today met for about an hour with Mohammed bin Salman at the prince’s private farmhouse.

The meeting was “very productive,” said the head of American diplomacy succinctly upon his return to the hotel where he is staying.

A State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said Blinken “underscored the importance the US places on ending the terrorist attacks by Hamas, freeing all hostages” and not escalating the conflict.

“The two men reaffirmed their shared commitment to protect civilians and promote stability in the Middle East and beyond,” the spokesman added.

Mohammed bin Salman, for his part, highlighted the diplomatic efforts made by Riyadh to de-escalate the situation and denounced, once again, the attacks against civilians, underlining the need to achieve a “just and sustainable peace”, he said. the Saudi agency SPA.

Blinken is expected to leave for Egypt later today.