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Russian President Vladimir Putin meets UAE President Mohammed bin Sajid
Photo: Uae Presidential Court / AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday for a short visit to the Gulf. Later, he wanted to travel on to Saudi Arabia. In Abu Dhabi, he was received by the President of the Emirates, Mohammed bin Sajid, as the country's state news agency WAM announced via X (formerly Twitter).
According to Russian sources, Putin praised the bilateral relationship between the countries as historically unprecedentedly good and invited Sayyid to visit the 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan. Brics stands for the members of the organization: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Despite international arrest warrant: Putin plans trip to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
According to Putin, the United Arab Emirates is Russia's main trading partner in the Arab region. According to Russian media, the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine were also addressed during the conversation. Initially, there was no further information on content.
After his visit to Abu Dhabi, Putin wanted to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.
According to the Russian state news agency Tass, the Russian president last visited Saudi Arabia and the Emirates in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic. The visit to the Gulf is the first since the start of the war in 2022 that is not aimed at Putin's direct allies such as China, Belarus or Kazakhstan. Because of the war of aggression against Ukraine, the Kremlin chief's foreign trips are limited to certain countries. In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) obtained an arrest warrant against him for the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia. Neither Saudi Arabia nor the United Arab Emirates have recognized the ICC, allowing Putin to travel to both countries without fear of arrest.
mfh/dpa