Xinhua News AgencyWritten by Hui Xiaoshuang.
Russia** Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on the 6th and was warmly received. What is rare is that Russian fighters escorted Putin's special plane throughout his visit.
Putin data map. Source: Xinhua News Agency.
This is Putin's third trip to a country outside the former Soviet Union since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis in February last year. Four Su-35S fighters of the Russian Aerospace Forces escorted Putin's special plane throughout the flight. According to a report issued by the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Satellite News Agency, the escort fighters are equipped with R-73 short-range air-to-air missiles and R-77 medium-range air-to-air missiles, the latter of which has a range of up to 110 kilometers.
Under normal circumstances, the host country may send fighter jets to greet visiting dignitaries, but it is rare for the other side to escort fighter jets into the country, let alone carry live ammunition. According to Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov, considering the situation in the Middle East, in order to ensure Putin's safety, fighter jets were sent to escort the whole process. The escort fighters were piloted by top pilots of the Russian military, and the Russian side obtained permission for countries along the route to fly over the airspace.
Putin arrived in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, on a special plane and was received by a high standard. Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the head of the Arab side, went to greet himThe guard of honor lined up along the road in Putin's car;The warplane pulled out a red, blue and white smoke in the air, which symbolizes the Russian flag;A gun salute rang out.
Putin held talks with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common concern, such as the new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Ukraine crisis, and the UN climate conference.
Russia reported that Putin told Mohammed that he was grateful for the friendly reception given by the United Arab Emirates, which is Russia's main partner, and the relationship between the two countries "reached unprecedented heights." Mohammed** called Putin a "dear friend" and said he was happy to see Putin again. In June, they met on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia.
The Russian Sputnik news agency quoted Mohammed** as saying that relations between the two countries have achieved positive development in various fields in recent years, and the UAE has become Russia's largest ** partner and investor among Arab countries, and the non-oil ** growth of the two countries in 2022 is "unprecedented" by nearly 109%, "showing the peculiarity of the relationship between the two countries."
According to the Emirates News Agency, Putin and Mohammed** discussed a new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, calling on the international community to take action to achieve a ceasefire, protect the safety of civilians and provide sustained humanitarian assistance. Regarding the Ukraine crisis, Mohammed** said that the UAE supports the resolution of all conflicts in the world through dialogue and diplomacy.
After concluding his visit to the UAE, Putin traveled to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, for talks with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. Crown Prince Mohammed stressed the historic nature and strong ties between the two countries, noting that the Soviet Union was the first country to recognize Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Crown Prince Mohammed said that Saudi Arabia and Russia have common interests and cooperation in many aspects, and cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, and investment has achieved great results in the past few years. The joint efforts of both sides have helped to ease tensions in the Middle East.
Putin said that the two countries have solid and good relations in the political, economic, and humanitarian fields. During the talks, Putin also invited Crown Prince Mohammed to visit Russia.
Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov said after Putin's visit that Putin had lunch with Crown Prince Mohammed and continued face-to-face exchanges. The two sides also discussed cooperation under the OPEC+ framework and agreed that the two countries "have a heavy responsibility" in "maintaining a reasonable level of international energy markets and maintaining a stable and predictable state."
The Russian side accompanying Putin on his visit included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov, as well as ministers, bank governors and senior officials of nuclear energy, aerospace and other departments.