Putin visits UAE, Saudi Arabia in rare foreign trip

Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, 6 December.

Russian state media reported that Putin's plane had touched down in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi. Images broadcast on state television showed him being greeted by officials on the runway.

Putin held talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi before traveling to Saudi Arabia for his first face-to-face meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman since October 2019.

Putin meets Saudi crown prince

The Russian leader was seen meeting bin Salman before sitting down for televised talks.

"Nothing can prevent the development of our friendly relations," Putin told the Saudi royal and invited him to visit Moscow.

"It is very important for all of us to exchange information and assessments with you on what is happening in the region. Our meeting is certainly timely," Putin said.

The Russian leader's visit coincides with the United Nations COP28 climate talks taking place in Dubai, although it was unclear whether Putin would attend. His trip also comes despite an arrest warrant against him from the International Criminal Court over the war in Ukraine.

"Putin is the person most responsible for the horrible ... war Russia is waging in Ukraine which led to the suffering of millions," EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told DW at COP28. 

"Our perspective is that, you know, there can be no business as usual. And it is up to countries who do decide to receive him to explain why they find that a good idea."

Negotiations dominated by oil

The Kremlin said talks in Saudi Arabia would involve discussions on energy cooperation, including as part of OPEC+, whose members pump more than 40% of the world's oil.

Other items on the agenda include Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, the situation in Syria and Yemen, and broader issues of stability in the Gulf, as well as the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the alleged abduction of children from Ukraine. 

Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE signed the ICC's founding treaty, which means they're under no obligation to arrest Putin over the warrant.