On December 6, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin arrived in the United Arab Emirates. He will also visit Saudi Arabia.
Putin flew to the UAE capital
In the UAE, Putin is scheduled to hold talks with the country's leader, Mohammed Al Nahyan — initially as part of delegations and face-to-face.
In the evening, Putin will go to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed Al Saud.
It should be noted that since March 2023, Putin has been wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of kidnapping Ukrainian children from the occupied territories.
However, the UAE and Saudi Arabia do not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction.
This is Putin's fourth international trip in the last two months. He visited Kyrgyzstan and China in October and Kazakhstan in November.
Why did Putin go to the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
ISW analysts believe that Putin is trying to strengthen Russia's position in the Persian Gulf countries.
On December 5, Kremlin press secretary Dmitriy Peskov said that during a meeting with UAE President Muhammad bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, Putin "exchanged views" on bilateral relations, the international and regional agenda.
Peskov also stated that the negotiations will take place within the framework of OPEC+. On November 30, OPEC+ members agreed to cut oil production in early 2024 to stabilize oil prices.
ISW analysts suggest that the Kremlin intends to use cooperation in the field of oil production and the alleged "diplomatic" participation of the Russian Federation in Israel's war with Hamas and in other conflicts to strengthen cooperation with the Persian Gulf states.
In particular, the Kremlin is likely interested in counterbalancing Saudi Arabia's and the UAE's potential concerns about Russia's increasing security dependence on Iran.
