Although the UAE and Saudi Arabia are close U.S. allies, they have developed strong business ties with Russia. On a visit to Abu Dhabi’s Qasr al-Watan palace, Putin was greeted with a 21-gun salute and a flyby of UAE military jets trailing smoke in the colors of the Russian flag. In Saudi Arabia, Putin and Mohammed discussed the cooperation under OPEC+ during Wednesday’s talks, noting their countries’ responsibility for stabilizing the global oil market. Prior to sitting down for talks with Raisi, Putin on Thursday also hosted Oman’s Crown Prince Theyazin bin Haitham, extolling prospects for cooperation in energy and tourism. Putin, who has limited his foreign travel since sending troops into invade Ukraine, visited China in October and made several trips to former Soviet nations in recent months.
