2023-12-06 18:09:23
Russian President Putin to Visit Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to make an official visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. The visit comes as Putin seeks to strengthen important strategic alliances with oil-producing nations and mediate in the Middle East.
According to a Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, Putin will hold talks with the Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi in Russia after the tour. The visit to the two Gulf states is seen as a clear signal that Russia is not isolated on the international stage and will help increase Russia’s influence in the Middle East.
The Russian president’s visit also signals growing strength despite Western efforts to isolate him since the Ukraine war. The relationship between Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as OPEC Plus members has been highlighted during the visit, with all three countries agreeing to cut oil production by 2.2 billion barrels in the first quarter of 2024.
The visit also includes discussions on the Israel-Hamas conflict, with Putin seeking to mediate a ceasefire. The war between Hamas and Israel began on October 7 following a surprise attack by Hamas, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people. Russia, being friendly with both Palestine and Israel, has expressed its willingness to mediate to end the conflict.
It’s worth noting that Putin’s foreign trips have been limited due to an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in the Ukraine war. As a result, he did not participate in the recent BRICS summit held in South Africa and the G20 summit in India.
Despite the arrest warrant, Putin’s visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates signals his ongoing efforts to maintain important diplomatic relationships and advance Russian influence on the international stage.
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