By Yaseen Jangikhan
President of Russia Vladimir Putin arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday for a rare visit beyond the former Soviet Union, as Russia strives to reassert itself on the international arena. Putin has been isolated by the West over the Ukraine conflict, and Putin is now seeking allies in the Middle East.
It is only the Russian president’s third journey outside the former Soviet Union since invading Ukraine, following visits to Iran and China, and comes as Moscow strives to increase its influence in the Middle East. Putin’s trip to the Gulf comes after OPEC+ agreed last Thursday to voluntary production cuts totaling approximately 2.2 million barrels per day (BPD), including a 1.3 million BPD extension of existing Saudi and Russian voluntary cuts. Following his visit to the UAE, Putin proceeded to Saudi Arabia for his first face-to-face meeting with Saudi King Salman since October 2019.
The Kremlin stated that in addition to oil, Putin and the Saudi leader would discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the situation in Syria and Yemen, and topics such as guaranteeing Gulf stability, while an adviser stated that Ukraine would be mentioned. The leaders, who control one-fifth of the oil extracted each day, have long had tight relations, despite being shunned by the West at times. The prince has pushed to reassert Saudi Arabia as a regional force with less regard for the United States, which supplies the majority of Riyadh’s weaponry.
Since the confrontation between Israel and Hamas erupted in October, Putin has framed the conflict as a failure of US policy in the Middle East, strengthening ties with Arab allies, Iran, and the militant Palestinian group. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest order for Putin earlier this year in connection with the forced repatriation of children from Ukraine to Russia. However, many Arab states and other Muslim countries have not signed it so he is free to travel in those countries.
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