Russian President Vladimir Putin began a trip on Wednesday to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, hoping to shore up support in the Mideast from two major oil producers allied to the US as his war on Ukraine grinds on.
Putin landed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms that is now hosting the United Nations COP28 climate talks. It was the first time he visited the region before the coronavirus pandemic and war, and while facing an arrest warrant. of the International Criminal Court for the war in Ukraine.
Neither Saudi Arabia nor the United Arab Emirates signed the ICC’s founding treaty, meaning they have no legal responsibility to arrest Putin because of the warrant accusing him of being personally guilty of child abductions in Ukraine, his war against the country. Putin did not attend a summit in South Africa for fear of being arrested upon arrival there.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s foreign minister, met a smiling Putin after he bounded down the stairs of his presidential plane. As he arrived at Abu Dhabi’s Qasr al-Watan palace to meet Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the country’s ruler, the UAE’s military acrobatics team flew in formation with red, white and blue smoke trailing them in the colours of the Russian flag. Soldiers on horseback and with camels lined his arrival route, Russian and Emirati flags also hanging from lightpoles.
The spectacle in the Emirates, which counts the United States as its main security partner, highlights the UAE’s extensive industrial ties with Russia, which have skyrocketed since Western sanctions targeted Moscow.
Ukrainians on the occasion expressed outrage at Putin’s presence in the country, while describing him as having committed environmental crimes in their country. “It’s incredibly provocative to see how the world treats war criminals, because that’s what it is, in my opinion,” said Marharyta Bohdanova, an employee of the Ukrainian pavilion at the U. N. COP28 climate summit in Dubai, wiping away tears. “Seeing how other people let other people please them on the big occasions, Array. . . To treat him as a beloved guest is just hypocritical in my opinion. “Officials in the Russian pavilion at the talks declined to speak to The Associated Press.
Putin last visited the United Arab Emirates in 2019, where he was welcomed by Sheikh Mohammed, then crown prince of Abu Dhabi. But since then, the global has changed dramatically.
The Russian president has been isolating himself from the coronavirus pandemic. It introduced a targeted invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a bitter war that continues today and was the topic of COP28 negotiations for Ukrainian diplomats.
Meanwhile, the war between Israel and Hamas remains a primary fear for the Middle East, especially the United Arab Emirates, which gained diplomatic popularity with Israel in 2020. Recent attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen also threaten the sending of advertising in the red zone. Mar, as Iran’s nuclear program continues its advance since the collapse of the 2016 nuclear deal.
Putin is scheduled to meet Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday for what Ushakov described as “a long conversation. “The two countries are discussing tactics to circumvent Western sanctions that oppose them.
Putin will stop in Saudi Arabia and meet tough Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on a one-day trip, Ushakov said. Most likely, these discussions will focus on Moscow’s other main fear in the Middle East: oil.
Russia is a member of OPEC, an organization of cartel members and other countries that have controlled their production in an attempt to drive up crude oil prices. Last week, the organization extended some production cuts into next year and added new oil supplier Brazil to its organization. Benchmark Brent crude was trading around $77 a barrel on Wednesday, down from just $100 in September, on concerns about the weakening global economy.
The visit comes after COP28 saw a parade of Western leaders including US Vice President Kamala Harris, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and others backing Ukraine speak at the summit. So did Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, long a Putin ally.
An article on Putin published through the official Tass news agency, published on Wednesday morning, did not recommend that Putin could simply come to the COP28 site, but quoted the Russian president’s assistant, Yuri Ushakov, as saying that he would land and have a “palace assembly” and a one-on-one meeting with Sheikh Mohammed. Still, some reports recommend that Putin could appear at climate talks.
The UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change’s spokesperson Alexander Saier said at a press conference that he is “not aware that Mr. Putin will come to the conference, but I would also need to check the host country with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” He declined to immediately answer whether UN police would be obligated to make an arrest.
The UAE’s COP28 creation committee referred questions to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which did not respond promptly. The United Arab Emirates has celebrated the now-ousted Sudanese leader, Omar al-Bashir, despite an ICC arrest warrant against his arrest on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
“I’m talking about their crimes and this user is literally here, somewhere close to me,” said Alina Abramenko, another worker at the Ukrainian pavilion who highlights the environmental damage caused by the war. “You know, it’s strange. “
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