Putin to meet Qatar's emir in Kazakhstan

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Kazakhstan, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

"This will be the first face-to-face meeting after the outbreak of the pandemic, so it is very important," Ushakov said. "The last time we met with the Emir was in Dushanbe in 2019."

Discussions would focus on politics and trade, he said, adding: "I would single out cooperation in the energy market, cooperation between Russia and Qatar within the framework of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum."

Thursday's scheduled meeting is an attempt to diffuse tensions between Russia and Qatar, which have grown since the Ukraine crisis broke out earlier this year, according to a source familiar with the talks.

Major gas-exporter Qatar has sought a largely neutral stance on the conflict but several moves by the Gulf Arab state have recently irked Moscow, the source said.

Sheikh Tamim called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday hours after explosions rocked several Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv. Qatar has criticised Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory and was one of eight non-NATO countries to join a NATO meeting earlier this year, the source said.

Russia had shown its displeasure by interfering in key Qatar dossiers, the source said, citing as examples its delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria and its role in facilitating talks between world powers on Tehran's nuclear programme.

Qatar "needs cordial relations with Russia and others in the region," in order to continue to play a role as a conflict mediator, the source said.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov in Moscow and Andrew Mills in Doha; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Jon Boyle)