Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the leader of the United Arab Emirates at a flagship business forum on Friday, in an effort by the Kremlin to ease its international isolation over the war in Ukraine.
(Bloomberg) — Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the leader of the United Arab Emirates at a flagship business forum on Friday, in an effort by the Kremlin to ease its international isolation over the war in Ukraine.
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the most prominent attendee at the event in Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg that once attracted major US and European politicians and investors before Putin began his invasion.
Speaking in comments shown on Russian television, the UAE leader told Putin that “cooperation, especially in the private sector, plays a big role in the development of our bilateral ties” and pointed to the huge growth in Russian tourism to his country.
Putin thanked the Gulf ruler for the UAE role in prisoner exchanges with Ukraine and help in resolving other “humanitarian” issues.
The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency separately reported that Sheikh Mohammed also stressed the necessity of a negotiated political solution to the war in Ukraine and called for an acceleration of efforts to mitigate the humanitarian repercussions of the crisis.
War in Ukraine Gets No Mention at Putin’s Forum Feting Economy
The UAE is taking part in the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as a special guest country. Following unprecedented sanctions against Russia by the US and its allies, this year’s forum mainly drew lower-level officials from countries that have for the most part avoided taking sides over the war.
The US has pressed unsuccessfully for the oil-rich UAE to curb ties with Russia, which is a member of the OPEC+ group of crude producers. Dubai, the UAE’s commercial hub, has seen an influx of Russians and their capital since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The UAE president last met with Putin in St. Petersburg in October, where the Russian leader said the Gulf state could play a “significant” role in efforts to end the war. The latest talks are taking place the day before Putin is due to meet a delegation of African leaders who are on a peace initiative that also includes a visit to Ukraine on Friday.
African Leaders Visit Russia in New Bid to End Ukraine War
The Russian and UAE leaders also toured a pavilion of the Arab country at the business gathering.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, whose country is a major buyer of Russian weapons and a member of OPEC+, is also taking part in the forum in Putin’s hometown.
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