UK PM Truss thanks Saudi Crown Prince for role in release of British detainees

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss walks outside Downing Street in London, Britain, September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Liz Truss has thanked Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his "personal role" in securing the release of five British detainees held by Russia-backed forces in Ukraine last week, her office said on Monday.

In a statement issued after Truss' first call with the Saudi crown prince since she took office, a spokesperson also said she "offered the UK’s continued support and encouragement for progress in Saudi Arabia’s domestic reforms."

(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman, Editing by William James)