Russian President Vladimir Putin will probably be making a one-day journey to Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Wednesday to debate the Israel-Hamas struggle, the Kremlin mentioned. Later within the week, Putin will host his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, in Moscow.
Putin has sought to extend Russia’s affect within the Center East, and consultants say he’s emboldened by rising worldwide criticism of Israel amid its bombardment of Gaza, which has left not less than 15,500 folks useless.
“Russia doesn’t have the identical loyalties because the U.S. does with Israel, which permits it to precise sympathy for each Israel and Palestine in methods many Western international locations, not least America, wrestle to,” wrote James Nixey and Nikolay Kozhanov for Chatham Home.
Previously, Russia has tried to take care of optimistic relations with each Israeli and Palestinian leaders. However Putin has taken a special strategy within the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault, which killed 1,200 folks in Israel. He waited three days earlier than commenting on the assault, then blamed Washington. “I feel that many will agree with me that it is a clear instance of the failed coverage within the Center East of the US, which tried to monopolize the settlement course of,” Putin instructed Iraq’s Prime Minister.
Putin subsequently invited a Hamas delegation—the militant group is backed by Russian ally Tehran—to Moscow on Oct. 26, which prompted anger from Israeli officers.
“Israel’s foremost ally is the US, Russia’s foremost enemy proper now. And Hamas’ ally is Iran, an ally of Russia,” Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, wrote in his weblog, in accordance with Reuters.
The conferences are additionally anticipated to debate oil costs. Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are all members of OPEC+, a gaggle of oil producing international locations. Final week, members of OPEC+ voluntarily agreed to chop their output, to assist drive up costs.
Putin will first land within the UAE earlier than stopping in Saudi Arabia for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto chief. “I hope that these will probably be very helpful negotiations, which we think about extraordinarily vital,” Putin aide Yuri Ushakov instructed Russian media.
Within the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Putin has not often traveled overseas. The Worldwide Felony Court docket issued a warrant for his arrest in March 2023 over the compelled deportation of Ukranian youngsters to Russia. His final journey exterior the borders of the previous Soviet Union was to China in October.
Putin declined to attend a BRICS summit in South Africa in August as a result of the nation could be obliged to arrest him in mild of the ICC arrest warrant.