Putin says relations with UAE at ‘unprecedented high’ as he is welcomed with flypast
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Vladimir Putin said relations with the UAE had reached unprecedented highs as he was welcomed to the country with a flypast and Russian flags, despite an international warrant for his arrest.
The Russian leader held a meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE’s president, as the Kremlin hailed its “main economic partner in the Arab world”.
The red carpet was rolled out for Putin, largely isolated on the world stage since the war in Ukraine, as his plane, flanked by four Russian Sukhoi-35S fighter jets, was escorted into UAE airspace by the country’s air force.
The trip is seen as an attempt by Putin to grow alliances with more conservative states as a counterweight to Western efforts to cut off Russia.
As he landed, Britain announced it would be sanctioning UAE firms that help fuel the Russian war machine
Putin is wanted for the abduction of children in Ukraine by the International Criminal Court, which the UAE, ostensibly neutral over the war, has not signed.
At 2pm local time, Putin was taken to the palace in a presidential convoy of police cars and armoured vehicles as a military helicopter flew overhead.
‘Dear friend’
“Today, thanks to your position, our relations have reached unprecedented levels,” Putin told Sheikh Mohamed, who said the Russian president was his “dear friend”.
Outside the Qasr al-Watan palace, security was tight with olice officers stationed around the complex.
On either side of the drive leading through to the palace was a mounted guard of honour. Half of the soldiers in national dress sat on Arabian horses, the other on camels - all carried either the Russian or the UAE flag.
As Putin entered the palace, which boasts an ornate dome adorned with a chandelier made from 350,000 pieces of crystal, seven fighter jets flew past in formation.
They trailed the white, blue and red of the Russian flag as a volley of gunfire announced Putin’s arrival and national anthems were played.
The 71-year-old, who has courted allies across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia amid Western attempts to isolate Moscow, was visibly delighted.
“Thank you very much, it’s so beautiful,” he said. When Putin was asked about his mood, he replied, “Great! It was good, it got even better!”
The pageantry in the Emirates, which relies on the United States as its major security partner, highlights its expansive business ties to Russia that have expanded since grinding Western sanctions targeted Moscow.
The topic of trade was on the agenda in talks with Sheikh Mohamed as Putin remarked Russia and the UAE cooperated as part of OPEC+, whose members pump more than 40 per cent of the world’s oil.
He added that they would discuss the Israeli-Hamas conflict, the situation in Syria, Yemen and the war in Ukraine.
On only his third visit outside of the former Soviet Union since the war began, the Russian president later met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.
His last visit to the region was in July 2022, when he met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran. Putin will host Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, in Moscow on Thursday.
Putin’s trip to the UAE comes after the country has welcomed many wealthy Russians fleeing sanctions in London and the West.
His visit to the Middle East also comes as his forces are on the front foot in Ukraine and Western military support appears to be waning.
UK sanctions for UAE firms
Shortly after Putin touched down, the UK announced it was sanctioning four firms in the UAE accused of helping Russian oil exports circumvent Western punitive measures over the invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement was made to coincide with a call between G7 leaders and Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s trip to Washington to urge continued UK and US support for Ukraine.
Russia has been using a “dark fleet” of tankers and companies operating outside of Western markets to avoid a $60 (£47) price cap on Russian oil barrels imposed by G7 countries.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Star Voyages Shipping, Oil Tankers (SCF) Management, K&O Shipmanagement and Radiating World Shipping Services, had used “opaque corporate structures and deceptive shipping practices”.
Firms based in the UAE can legally buy and sell Russian oil at any price, as long as they are using non-European shipping and financial services providers.
Saif Islam, of the geopolitical risk consultancy S-RM, said a “key objective” of thePutin’s visit was “continuing to leverage relations with the UAE and Saudi Arabia to cope with Western sanctions over the Ukraine invasion.”
“Putin’s visit to the Middle East is an ‘obvious’ win for him as well as a ‘safe’ visit, “ said James Nixey, director of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House.
Cinzia Blanco, senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the visit showed Putin was losing influence in the Middle East.
“Almost two years into the invasion, it seems that Putin is flying to the region to keep the UAE interested rather than the other way around,” she said.
