Putin goes to UAE and Saudi Arabia to change the rules of the game

Russian President Vladimir Putin flew to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for negotiations on Wednesday, December 6. Afterwards, Putin will travel to Saudi Arabia.

The Russian president will visit the two countries within 24 hours as he is expected to participate in other events the following day. According to the Kremlin, Putin's trip is associated with issues related to the oil market.

"These discussions are being conducted within the OPEC+ format, but, of course, interaction in this [oil] area is always on the agenda," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Russia are members of OPEC+, an alliance of oil producers. Last week, OPEC+ agreed to extend and deepen oil production cuts.

After the official meeting at the airport and the meeting at the palace, Russia and the UAE will conduct negotiations as part of the delegations, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said. The Russian president and his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will have a one-on-one conversation.

The leaders of the two countries will discuss prospects of bilateral cooperation and current international problems in light of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Putin's visit comes as a demonstration of Russia's confidence against the backdrop of the protracted conflict in Ukraine, the blockage of a new package of US military assistance to Kyiv and the stability of the Russian economy against the background of sanctions, Bloomberg reports.

From UAE to Saudi Arabia

In Riyadh, Putin will hold a meeting meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. First of all, the parties will touch upon issues of bilateral cooperation in trade, economic and investment fields, as well as various aspects of cooperation in multilateral formats.

"The Russian-Saudi coordination within the scope of the [OPEC+] format is a reliable guarantee to maintain a stable and predictable situation in the global oil market, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said.

The Russian delegation includes assistants Yuri Ushakov, Igor Levitin, Maxim Oreshkin, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov, and other officials:

• Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,
• First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov,
• Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov,
• Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak,
• Chairman of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina,
• Head of Roscosmos Yuri Borisov,
• Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev
• RDIF chair Kirill Dmitriev.