We have to be honest this man Putin may not have money but he has guns and nukes and he hasn't got much to lose on his end compared to wealthier societies with nukes, it really is an edge to listen to him even if it conflicts with your interests. I mean it's not in our long-term interest to see this man end the saudis, we die along with saudis when they stop producing oil and red sea is a ghost lane.
But at the same time the facts won't change the man has a strong leverage and if he plays a lose-lose game, it comes down to who has more to lose and the west does then. What he wants I don't know ninkani but he is arming people up around oil fields for more leverage and has Iran doing it who is threatening the red sea leverage tool. He increases his leverage options, partners near oilfields, partnes in the shipping lane, plus nukes? it's to much options and no-one will have a war over there so it will end with a deal which could harm all of us on the red sea. He also even has a boy near the japanese and south koreans. His relationship with China, I haven't read yet but you could assume it's good since north korea was helped by them in nuclear weapon.
Poor nations with nukes are dangerous and when I say poor, I mean any society that has less to lose then your trillions has a leverage and ignoring it and playing macho won't work cause your people will back down when the show-down happens and they see their putting everything on the line and the other side is saying 'we know they won't do it' but let's play along crying we got less to lose.
This guy is breaking up the EU, NATO and it's clear how he has huge focus there and puts a priority around it and deals with it himself and has iranians and north koreans playing around other areas of importance. Lots of western nations are connected to the Chinese nowadays thru trade and to have a war around there is going to hurt a-lot of countries as access to market is bad. It's like buying your food in a strip mall or street where there is bullets firing, you can try going but you will risk your life and ships and no-one will. Fighting around countries like Dubai is less riskier since it's just a big shopping center with different services and good but it has no production line, so it's like one shop in strip mall and you can find other shops to go to that are safe.
But saudis are different story, that's a key marker sxb that oil, the trade happening around the world isn't the same priority. OIL is up there as most important, where-as the ships between france and england just carrying bananas and shit bro even though it's got heavy trade but it isn't critical stuff.