MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday announced plans to stage a summit with the Arab League group of states later this year as Moscow searches for new partners after its three-year offensive on Ukraine.
Slapped with sweeping Western sanctions after sending troops into Ukraine, Russia has turned towards Asian, African and Arab countries for political and economic ties.
“We plan to hold a summit between Russia and Arab countries this year,” Putin told Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq, in the first-ever visit to Russia by an Omani head of state.
“Many of our friends in the Arab world support this idea,” he added, inviting bin Tariq to the summit, without specifying the date and location.
Putin says he is open to direct peace talks with Ukraine
The Sultan’s visit comes days after Putin hosted Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Moscow for talks on Syria and Gaza. Doha is a key mediator between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.
The Gulf states are gaining ever-growing diplomatic influence as mediators in negotiations to resolve the world’s most pressing crises, which have claimed thousands of lives, such as the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Oman recently hosted talks between the United States and Iran, the highest-level meeting between the two sides since Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear deal in 2018 during his first term as US president.
Russia and Ukraine held indirect talks mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia in the Saudi capital Riyadh in March.
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