Russian President Vladimir Putin has held diplomatic talks, aimed at strengthening strategic relations with countries in the Arab world, in the Kremlin during the final week of January 2026. The discussions also focused on broadening economic cooperation and, particularly, on Russia’s security presence in the region, as well as current situation in the Middle East, and other international issues.

Leaders from the United Arab Emirates, the Syrian Arab Republic, and the State of Palestine. In addition to these, Putin interacted with a group of Isrealis in the Kremlin. He also held phone conversations with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian and with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. So also with Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim and Vietnam.

United Arab Emirates: Putin talks in the Kremlin with President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was on an official visit, centered on key areas of multifaceted Russia-UAE cooperation, as both marked their 55th-year of the establishment of diplomatic relations. In an assessment, Putin noted: “We attach great value to your significant personal contribution to all spheres of the Russia-UAE strategic partnership, which is multifaceted, mutually beneficial and growing dynamically. We have developed political dialogue at the level of our governments, parliaments, ministries and agencies, as well as between our business communities.”

The United Arab Emirates is an important trade partner in the Arab world. Russia’s bilateral trade has been growing consistently. This is due to the efficiency of the intergovernmental commission work in the previous years in Moscow and in Dubai. The Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Mubadala Foundation have implemented over 60 projects. In fact, cooperation in technology and industry has advanced significantly. Russia’s high-tech company Yandex is promoting its services in the UAE market. A number of significant initiatives have been formulated in the sphere of energy.

Traditionally, special attention has been devoted to humanitarian contacts. In November 2025, the United Arab Emirates hosted the Days of Russian Culture. Each year, the number of tourists from Russia visiting the country continues to grow: in the first nine months of 2025 alone, it reached 1.5 million people, an increase of 18 percent.

Cooperation in the fields of education and........

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