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Putin Seeks Closer Middle East Ties in Rare Visit to the Gulf
While world leaders gathered for the COP28 climate talks in Dubai, Russia's Vladimir Putin was busy discussing oil prices in Abu Dhabi. The Russian president, on a rare visit to the Gulf, held talks with his UAE counterpart before he headed to Saudi Arabia where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. Putin's brief trips came just a day before he hosted Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow. The back to back meetings has many pointing to Russia's latest push to shore up its influence in the energy rich Gulf.
Putin and Raisi discussed trade, defense ties and the latest situation in Gaza where Israel's ground operations have intensified. Moscow has been openly critical of Israel's disproportionate response and continued US support, echoing many countries in the Gulf. Over the past year, Russia has stepped up its energy coordination with Saudi Arabia through OPEC+, with both countries calling for members to join their production cuts. So has Russia's influence in the Gulf grown since the start of the conflict in Gaza, and are traditional US allies rethinking the region's changing power balances?
Guests:
Abdolrasool Divsallar
Non-Resident Scholar at MEI
Chiara Lovotti
Research Fellow at ISPI
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