Putin’s UAE Trip Highlights Importance Of Middle East To Kremlin’s International Relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday on a working visit. It appears to be his first trip to the Middle Eastern region since the invasion of Ukraine began in February last year.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, greeted Putin after he touched down in Abu Dhabi. Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed his Russian counterpart at an official reception held at Qasr Al Watan in the capital.

Trade Between UAE And Russia On The Rise

As per state news agency WAM, the national anthems of both the UAE and Russia were played and a 21-gun saluted fired as part of a colourful ceremony. In addition, an Emirati display team took flight to paint the skies in the colours of the Russian flag.

The UAE remains the largest Gulf trading partner of Russia, marking 55% of the total Russian-Gulf trade. Trade between the two nations continues to grow, reaching roughly $10 billion, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in September.

He noted that the figure is likely to increase and that Moscow supports the Emirates in joining the BRICS – an acronym for the group’s founding members of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The UAE is set to formally become a member on January 1.

During the meeting, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reiterated his wish for a calmer world and said the Emirates was open to playing a role in helping ease tensions, in particular over the Ukraine war that has been raging on for almost 22 months.

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The Russian president has made really few journeys outside of his country in recent months. His UAE trip appears to highlight the importance of the oil-rich Mideast Gulf Arab states to the Kremlin’s international relations.

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Putin’s overseas trips have been severely limited due to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for him over alleged war crimes. Since the UAE has not ratified the statute that governs the ICC, it is not obligated to arrest the Russian leader on its territory.