Putin is received in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh

Since his attack on Ukraine, the Russian president has had to choose his hosts very carefully. Due to an international arrest warrant, he is under threat of arrest in many countries. But not in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Here, the Kremlin leader speaks unchallenged about the world's "hot zones".

On one of his few trips abroad since the start of the war of aggression in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Both countries received the Kremlin leader despite the fact that an arrest warrant has been issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. However, Putin did not have to fear arrest, as neither the Emirates nor Saudi Arabia recognize the ICC.

The first stop on Putin's trip was Abu Dhabi, where he was received with full honors. As pictures from the Kremlin showed, dozens of soldiers awaited the guest at the presidential palace, while planes sprayed smoke in the sky in the colors of the Russian flag and cannon shots were fired nearby. "Thanks to your attitude, our relations have reached an unprecedented level today," Putin told President Mohammed bin Sajed al-Nahjan on his arrival, praising the brisk trade between the states. Putin said he would talk to his colleague about the situation "in the hot zones", mentioning both the Middle East conflict and the "crisis in Ukraine".

After his talks in Abu Dhabi, Putin flew on to Riyadh, where, according to the Kremlin, they were to discuss trade, investment and international politics. The Kremlin leader also met with the Saudi Arabian crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman.

Third trip since the attack on Ukraine

According to Moscow, Putin's trip to the two Arab countries also included the cut in oil production agreed by the OPEC+ oil cartel. The Kremlin did not say whether Putin would also visit the UN Climate Change Conference, which is currently taking place in Dubai in the Emirates.

In March, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant against Putin for the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia. As a result, Putin did not attend the major international meetings and stayed away from both the G20 summit in India in September and the summit of the BRICS group of states in South Africa in August.

Since the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in February last year, Putin has only traveled to countries that are friendly to him. This is only the third time he has left the territory of the former Soviet Union - apart from former Soviet states, he had only visited Iran and China before the current trip.

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During his third trip outside the former Soviet Union since the attack on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, both of which received him despite the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant. In Saudi Arabia, Putin met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss trade, investment, and international politics, as part of the OPEC+ agreement on oil production cuts. While attending the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, Putin did not face any legal consequences due to the host countries' non-recognition of the ICC.

Source: www.ntv.de