Vladimir Putin Heads to Middle East Flanked by 4 Russian Fighter Jets

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Russian President Vladimir Putin departed for the Middle East to discuss oil production and OPEC+ with the President of the United Arab Emirates and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. This is Putin's rare trip abroad since the war with Ukraine.

During the trip, Putin's presidential plane was flanked by four Russian fighter jets. Putin's plane was flanked by Sukhoi-35S fighter jets that the Defense Ministry showed flying alongside his Ilyushin-96 plane from Russia to the United Arab Emirates.

Flanked by fighter jets, Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, in the first part of his trip to the Middle East, where he will also travel to Saudi Arabia.

Putin landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the UAE under protection from four Su-35 Russian fighter jets, which flanked the president’s plane for the entire flight, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The fighter jets painted the skies over Dubai with the colors of the Russian flag, according to Russian state-run media outlet TASS.

Putin was seen smiling as he walked down the ramp of his plane and was greeted by UAE officials in footage released by the Kremlin.

Putin has already concluded a one-on-one meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who called him a friend, according to the Kremlin.

“Our relations, thanks in large part to your position, have reached an unprecedented high level,” Putin told Sheikh Mohammed. “The UAE is Russia's main trading partner in the Arab world.”

After that, Putin headed to Riyadh, where he meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the capital of Riyadh.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) discussed further cooperation on oil prices on Wednesday as members of OPEC+, a Kremlin spokesperson was quoted as saying.

A Saudi account of the meeting said the crown prince praised joint coordination between the two countries "that helped remove tensions in Middle East".

Putin and the crown prince, de facto ruler of the world's largest crude exporter, had the hastily arranged talks hours after the Kremlin leader visited Saudi Arabia's Gulf neighbour, the United Arab Emirates.

The Saudi Press Agency quoted the crown prince as saying: "We share many interests and many files that we are working on together for the benefit of Russia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and the world as well."

In remarks at the beginning of their talks, shown earlier on Russian television, Putin thanked MbS, as the crown prince is widely known, for his invitation. He had originally expected him to visit Moscow, "but there were changes to plans".

Their next meeting should take place in Moscow, he said, and "Nothing can prevent the development of our friendly relations."

Putin last traveled to the UAE and Saudi Arabia in 2019.

This was his first face-to-face meeting with MbS since October 2019. His last visit to the region was in July 2022, when he met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Kremlin said that besides oil, they would discuss the war between Israel and Hamas militants, the situation in Syria and Yemen, and issues such as ensuring stability in the Gulf, while an aide said Ukraine situation would also be discussed.

Putin will host Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

TEMPO.CO

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