The leader of the United Arab Emirates will travel to Russia on Tuesday to meet with President Vladimir Putin, amid an escalation of the confrontation between Moscow and Kyiv.
Putin and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will discuss regional and foreign issues of unusual concern, the UAE’s state-run WAM firm said. , without giving extra information.
The UAE leader comes as Putin’s nearly eight-month-old invasion intensifies following a series of Ukrainian advances and an explosion on a key bridge connecting Crimea that Moscow blamed on Ukrainian intelligence. , with Putin threatening additional attacks.
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Former Dubai finance chief Nasser al-Shaikh said on Twitter that the UAE leader would try to “defuse a European war” that no one expected to succeed at this escalation point.
Last week, US President Joe Biden warned that Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons in his invasion of Ukraine could lead to “Armageddon. “
The United Arab Emirates and Russia, along with Saudi Arabia, are part of the OPEC alliance. Last week, the organization challenged the United States by cutting crude supply, a surprise move that helps keep oil costs high at a time of global inflation fears.
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Saudi Arabia and Turkey helped broker a prisoner swap deal between Russia and Ukraine in late September, raising the possibility that the Gulf country would simply try to mediate between the warring parties. Semana, has also come forward to act as a peacemaker.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have refused Western sanctions against Russia and have maintained ties with both sides in the war.
“The Emiratis have sent signals that they are in a position to mediate,” said Elena Suponina, a Moscow-based Middle East expert. “They are in a position to coordinate those efforts with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. “