Putin enters West Asia powerplay in rare wartime visit to UAE, Saudi Arabia

Nearly 20months after Vladimir Putin announced a military offensive against Ukraine by describing them as 'special military operations', the Russian president landed in the United Arab Emirates in a rare visit outside the countries of former Soviet Union as well as China.

Putin was welcomed in the UAE with a 21-gun salute and a stunning flypast by Al Fursan, the UAE Air Force aerobatics team, showcasing Russian flag colours in smoke.

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Putin's West Asia itineraryincludes a visit to Saudi Arabia next.

The visit is rare because since December 2021 when the Russian president visited New Delhi for an annual India-Russia summit, he has not visited any other country except China and the countries of the erstwhile Soviet Union.

This is only the Russian leader's third trip outside the former Soviet Union since February 2022, after visits to Iran and China.

Putin's West Asia visit: Immediate backdrop

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has already conceded that the country's much-anticipated summer counteroffensive aimed to regain territories gained by Russia since February 2022, has not yielded expected results.

Besides, Russia has been able to withstand the impact of the economic sanctions by the US and European Union through straightforward oil exports to the countries such as India. While the European countries have been clandestinely buying Russian oil, and thus, are partly neutralising the impact of the sanctions.

With a wartime economy boosted by Russia's indigenous military-industry complex, the country recently proposed its biggest-ever defence budget.

"Vladimir Putin has arrived in the United Arab Emirates for a working visit," the Kremlin said, before he was scheduled to travel onwards to Saudi Arabia.

Russian state television showed UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other officials greeting Putin on the runway.

Trade and oil will be on the agenda in the UAE, which is "Russia's main economic partner in the Arab world," according to a statement issued by the Kremlin ahead of the visit.

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Bilateral trade turnover between the two countries reached a record level $9bn in 2022, the Kremlin said.

Putin is expected to meet with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when he arrives in Saudi Arabia later on Wednesday (Dec 6).

Putin, since March, has been wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has accused him of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

Putin skipped the BRICS summit in South Africa in August and G20 summit in New Delhi in September.

(With inputs from agencies)