The American Foreign Policy magazine published an article in which its author believed that the sale of the United States of America's F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates could lead to granting Russia access to American technology.

The author of the article, journalist Samuel Ramani, indicated that the fact that the UAE has become the third Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel is an important event that has sparked much discussion about the imminent sale of US F-35 fighter jets to Abu Dhabi.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly opposed the deal, but the Trump administration is working on a compromise that would allow the US government to sell a fifth-generation fighter jet to Abu Dhabi without undermining Israel's qualitative military edge in the region.

The article pointed out that preserving Israel's qualitative military advantage, which is its ability to respond to regional adversaries' aggression through technological and tactical superiority, has served as a guiding principle for US policy in the Middle East since the 1960s, and has been codified in US law since 2008.

Abu Dhabi and War Crimes

According to the author, the upcoming sale of fighters to the UAE faced opposition in the United States, as it sparked alleged war crimes committed by the UAE in Libya, which included an attack on a refugee detention center near Tripoli, and an airstrike by a drone that killed unarmed students in Tripoli in January. Last January, as well as its supervision of torture facilities in Yemen;

Ethical reservations about the deal.

He also indicated that there are concerns about the possibility of Russia and China providing Iran with advanced military technology, in order to counter the UAE's enhanced air capabilities thanks to the deal, if it is enforced.

Although the aforementioned concerns are sufficient to cause concern about the deal, the growing strategic partnership between the UAE and Russia provides a compelling rationale for its suspension.

Relationship with Russia

The article pointed out that although the UAE is often considered the United States' most trustworthy partner in combating terrorism in the Arab world, Abu Dhabi has worked with Russia to strengthen the international legitimacy of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and enable Khalifa Haftar to launch an attack on Tripoli.

In June 2018, Russia and the UAE signed their first strategic partnership agreement, and Russian President Vladimir Putin described Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed as an "old friend" prior to his visit to the UAE in October 2019, which resulted in new trade deals. The value between the two countries amounted to $ 1.3 billion.

The writer believed that in light of this growing partnership, the United States should refrain from selling F-35 aircraft to the UAE until Abu Dhabi takes concrete steps to end its partnership with Russia, and that Washington should implement a precedent for suspending F-35 sales to Turkey to the United Arab Emirates.

He said that if the UAE does not distance itself from Russia, there is a great risk that American technology will be transferred to Russia via Abu Dhabi, and that Russian missile defense systems will be able to counter the F-35 fighter jets.

The writer added that the security partnership between Russia and the UAE is deeper than its relationship with Turkey, as it is based on arms sales and logistical cooperation, not to mention the active cooperation in developing a weapons system.

Therefore, the risks associated with selling the F-35s to Abu Dhabi are higher compared to Turkey.

Despite the tensions resulting from diplomatic relations between Abu Dhabi and the Taliban, and its military support for separatist rebels in Chechnya during their war with Russia during the period between 1994 and 1996, the UAE was the fourth largest buyer of Russian weapons in 2000, according to the magazine's article.

Emirati cooperation with "Wagner"

The writer pointed out that the United Nations reported earlier this month that many Russian and Emirati aircraft were illegally supplying weapons to Haftar's forces in Libya, which confirms the logistical coordination between the Russian and Emirati forces in that field.

In addition, private military contractors from the Russian "Wagner" group have conducted reconnaissance missions to support the air strikes launched by the Emirati drones in Libya. The UAE participates in recruiting soldiers from Chad and Sudan to fight for the "Wagner" group, and Russia and the UAE regularly exchange intelligence information about counter-resistance operations in Libya. Syria to strengthen Assad's grip on power.

The writer concluded that the United States must put pressure on the UAE about its relationship with Russia, and thus American decision-makers have faced a strategic partnership that played an important role in undermining American hegemony in the Middle East, and thus they could also develop a safer relationship with the UAE, which puts an end to the climate of escape It is a prevalent punishment that allows Abu Dhabi to challenge US interests in the region.