French geopolitical analyst Pascal Boniface says Saudi Arabia’s reported nuclear agreement with the United States is the result of Riyadh’s strategy of balancing relations between competing global powers rather than relying exclusively on Washington.
Reacting to reports that the United States is prepared to offer Saudi Arabia a significantly more favorable civilian nuclear agreement, Boniface argued that the kingdom secured the deal by expanding its diplomatic and strategic partnerships with both China and Russia.
“Saudi Arabia would never have obtained such a favorable nuclear agreement by remaining within the framework of a single alliance with the USA,” Boniface wrote on X.
“It is because it has developed ties with Moscow and especially Beijing that it obtained it”
For decades, Saudi Arabia relied almost exclusively on its security partnership with the United States.
However, in recent years Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pursued a more diversified foreign policy, strengthening political and strategic ties with major global powers beyond Washington.
China has become Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner. Russia has remained an important partner through the OPEC+ alliance, where the two countries have coordinated oil production and energy policy despite broader geopolitical tensions.
Boniface argues that this broader diplomatic posture has strengthened Saudi Arabia’s leverage in negotiations with the United States.
His comments come amid growing international debate over the reported U.S.-Saudi nuclear negotiations, particularly over provisions that could allow Saudi Arabia to develop uranium enrichment capabilities as part of a civilian nuclear program.
The prospect has generated concern among some Western and Israeli officials, who warn that domestic enrichment technology could eventually provide the technical foundation for a future weapons program, despite any civilian commitments attached to the agreement.
