Russia's Vladimir Putin arrives in UAE, first stop on Middle East trip
Moscow also said that Putin will then travel to Saudi Arabia and will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for an important visit. He is meeting with the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Russian state media TASS said that “Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said that the initial meeting will include the presidents’ respective delegations, and will be followed by talks between the two leaders in a one-on-one format.”
The reports from Moscow also said that Putin will then travel to Saudi Arabia and will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. Putin visited both the UAE and Saudi Arabia in 2019. Gulf countries have taken a more modest approach to the Ukraine war than the West. While the West has been deeply supportive of Ukraine after the Russian invasion of 2022, many Gulf countries have sought to keep warm relations with Russia. Russia has also acquired Iranian drones.Russia has close ties with Turkey and also backs the Syrian regime in Damascus. Russia has not condemned the Hamas attack on October 7 on Israel. Hamas released several hostages who hold dual Russia-Israeli citizenship as a gesture to Moscow.
Putin to discuss ongoing Israel-Hamas war
Putin will discuss the Israel-Palestinian conflict during his trip, reports from Al-Ain media said in the UAE. He will also discuss oil production and OPEC. “Foreign visits by the Russian President are generally rare in recent years, and his visits have been limited to countries, most of which are countries of the former Soviet Union, and his last visit to a country outside these countries was to China last October,” a report at Al-Ain said. According to the same report and the Russian Foreign Minister, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also expected to arrive in the UAE on December 8 and then fly to Qatar. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said “from December 8-9, the Russian foreign minister will take part in the 14th Sir Bani Yas International Forum on Peace and Security in Abu Dhabi," the diplomat said at a news conference. "On December 10, he is scheduled to speak at the 21st Doha Forum in Qatar."Russia is focusing on the “global south” at these meetings. Russia has relied on support from non-western countries during its war in Ukraine. "In his speeches, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will outline the Russian vision of trends in global development and will talk about how our country sees a new, fairer, democratic world order, free from neo-colonial influence. And the minister will pay special attention to the problem of Palestinian-Israeli settlement, of course, and security issues in the Middle East," Zakharova said, according to TASS.
This is an important visit. Russia has not condemned Hamas and appears to see the Hamas war against Israel as part of the global shift in priorities, meaning it will exploit that war as part of Moscow’s anti-western policy. Thus Hamas now benefits from being seen as fighting the Israel, and Israel is an ally of the US. Iran, which works with Russia, has exploited this concept as well, trying to use the Hamas attack to encourage a regional conflict with the US, using proxies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.Putin appears to see this strategic shift as important for Russia. Russia wants to work with various groupings in the world, such as BRICS and the SCO, which China is a member of, to overturn the US-led world order. The Hamas attack on October 7 may be seen as part of that trend. Venezuela, an ally of Russia, Turkey and Iran, is also now preparing a war against Guyana, its neighbor. Therefore the Putin trip is important. Israel and the UAE have relations in the wake of the Abraham Accords. Before October 7 there were many reports about possible Israel-Saudi normalization. Now there are many uncertainties in the Middle East.
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