5 ay önce

Putin to visit Saudi Arabia, UAE for talks on Israeli war in Gaza

The Russian president will also be hosting his Iranian counterpart in Moscow later in the week, says Kremlin spokesperson.

Reuters

Putin will make the visit at a time when Russia wants to advance its role as a power broker in the conflict in the Middle East. / Photo: Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a one-day trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia focused on the Israeli war in Gaza and host the Iranian president in Moscow this week, the Kremlin said.

Putin will make working visits to both countries on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

The talks will focus on bilateral relations, the Israeli war on Palestinians and other international issues, Peskov said on Tuesday.

Issues related to oil price caps under OPEC+ will also be on the agenda, he added.

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Power broker

Putin's trip was first announced on Monday by his foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who didn't give a date for the visits when he spoke to the Russian news outlet Life.

"I hope that these will be very useful negotiations, which we consider extremely important," Ushakov was quoted as saying by Life.

Putin will make the visit at a time when Russia wants to advance its role as a power broker in the conflict in the Middle East.

Putin will host Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in the Kremlin on Thursday, Peskov added.

Accused of war crimes

The Russian president visited China in October and recently made several trips to former Soviet nations.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.

Since the warrant was issued, Putin chose not to attend a BRICS summit in South Africa because the country would be obliged to arrest Putin upon arrival as it is a signatory to the international court's treaty.

Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE has signed the ICC's founding treaty.

The notice against Putin in March was the first time the global court issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. The ICC said in a statement that Putin is accused of the war crime of "illegal deportation" of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.