The state-run WAM media of the UAE reported that UAE’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will meet Putin in Russia and will speak about regional and global topics of relevance. Without providing any further details, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the two leaders will have a private meeting in the hometown of the Russian president, St. Petersburg.
The arrival of the UAE leader comes as Putin’s almost eight-month invasion intensifies in response to several Ukrainian gains and an explosion on a crucial bridge connecting Crimea to the rest of Ukraine that Moscow blamed on Ukraine’s secret services. Putin threatened further strikes after Russian missiles on Monday attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other locations around the nation.
Nasser al-Shaikh, a former chief of Dubai’s finance department, declared on Twitter that the ruler of the UAE will attempt to “defuse a European war” that no one had anticipated would escalate to this degree.
President of the United States Joe Biden expressed concern last week that Putin’s claims that he would use nuclear weapons in his invasion of Ukraine might bring about “Armageddon.”
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia all belong to the OPEC+ group. In a shocking move last week, the organization defied the United States by cutting the supply of petroleum, which keeps oil prices high at a time when inflation fears are widespread.
In late September, Saudi Arabia and Turkey facilitated a prisoner exchange agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which raised the potential that the Gulf country may attempt to mediate between the warring parties. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, has also repeatedly offered to mediate conflicts. He will meet with Putin later this week.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have refused to implement Western sanctions against Russia and have continued to retain ties with both sides of the war.
Middle East expert Elena Suponina, who is based in Moscow, said that the Emiratis have signaled that they are prepared to intervene. “They’re willing to work with Turkey and Saudi Arabia to coordinate these operations.”
