Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with the leader of the United Arab Emirates at a flagship business forum on Friday, bolstering the Kremlin’s efforts to ease its international isolation over the war in Ukraine.
(Bloomberg) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with the leader of the United Arab Emirates at a flagship business forum on Friday, bolstering the Kremlin’s efforts to ease its international isolation over the war in Ukraine.
Putin will meet with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, according to a Kremlin statement. The UAE is taking part in the event as a special guest country.
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.
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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 capital, has seen an influx of Russians and their capital since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The annual St. Petersburg economic forum attracted major US and European politicians and investors before Putin began his invasion. Many now shun the event following unprecedented sanctions against Russia by the US and its allies, with this year’s forum mainly drawing lower-level officials from countries that have largely avoided taking sides over the war.
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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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