Russian President Vladimir Putin is making a rare trip abroad to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is also scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia.
Mr Putin is expected to discuss the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as oil production, with the UAE president.
The UAE is currently hosting the COP28 UN climate summit, but the Kremlin has not said whether Mr Putin will attend.
He has barely left Russia since March, when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued him an arrest warrant.
The ICC has accused him of illegally deporting Ukrainian children to Russia – a war crime – but neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia recognise the court’s jurisdiction.
The Russian leader has snubbed other recent international summits, including Brics in South Africa in August and the G20 summit in September in India.
The trips come as Russia is keen to project influence and undermine the West’s attempts to isolate it.
Mr Putin told UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan that “our relations have reached unprecedented levels”.
Trade and oil will be on the agenda in the UAE, which a Kremlin statement said is “Russia’s main economic partner in the Arab world”.—BBC
