Putin's plan for a "lightning" visit to Middle Eastern countries: significance and practical value At a time when US aid to Ukraine is in trouble, Russia** Putin has started a new round of diplomatic actions. On December 6, Putin arrived in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, for a visit to the United Arab Emirates. Subsequently, he will also travel to Saudi Arabia for talks. This visit is widely regarded as an important attempt at Russian diplomacy and has important political significance and practical value. One of the goals of Putin's visit is to break diplomatic isolation. Zhao Long pointed out that the visit coincided with the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), hosted by the UAE. He believes that such a choice can have a certain intersection with other countries, especially Western countries, in the same time and space. This means that Russia hopes to use this visit to alleviate its diplomatic isolation and reconnect with other countries. The visit should also be interpreted in the context of the Ukraine crisis. Since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, Russia has been facing unprecedented diplomatic isolation, mainly from sanctions and pressure from countries such as the United States and Europe.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on suspicion of war crimes, further complicating Putin's visit abroad. Zhao Long provided a set of figures: in 2019, Putin visited 23 countries, but in the past two years this number has dropped sharply to nine, and most of them are Central Asian countries, and the diplomatic space of the Russian head of state is greatly limited. Recently, however, the frequency of Putin's foreign visits has begun to pick up. In October this year, he paid a two-day visit to China and participated in the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Prior to that, he also visited China's and Russia's neighbors, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. This trip to the Middle East is very important to Putin. The UAE is Russia's largest partner in the Gulf region, and the two countries are also cooperating in a number of international cooperation framework mechanisms. Through talks with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Putin is expected to further consolidate Russia's position in the Middle East and seek more opportunities for cooperation. In addition, the visit can provide some support for Putin's internal affairs. In the international community, Putin has always been the symbol and representative of Russia, and his diplomatic actions will also directly affect the public opinion and political atmosphere at home.
Therefore, the success of this visit will have a direct bearing on the image and status of Putin and Russia. Generally speaking, Putin's "lightning" visit to Middle Eastern countries is of great political significance and practical value. The visit helped break Russia's diplomatic isolation and reconnect with other countries. In addition, against the backdrop of the protracted crisis in Ukraine, this visit is also an important attempt at Russian diplomacy. Putin's trip to the Middle East will provide more opportunities and possibilities for Russia's economic resilience and diplomatic breakthrough. In my opinion, Putin's visit to the countries of the Middle East is of great significance and influence. The visit is an important attempt at Russian diplomacy, which will not only help break diplomatic isolation and re-establish ties, but will also hopefully consolidate Russia's position in the Middle East. In addition, the visit will also be able to support Russia's internal affairs and strengthen Putin's image and status in the country. However, we also need to note that in the international community, Russia still faces many challenges and difficulties, especially against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis. Therefore, Russia needs a more flexible and pragmatic foreign policy and work together with other countries to find ways to solve problems and opportunities for cooperation.
Finally, I would like to ask readers a question: what do you think of Putin's trip to the Middle East?What impact do you think this visit will have on Russia's diplomatic breakout and economic resilience?Please leave your comments and views. Putin's Middle East Visit: Stepping Up Diplomatic Breakout, Strengthening Economic ResilienceRussia**Putin recently made a rare trip to the Middle East, visiting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two members of the OPEC+ alliance. The visit attracted widespread attention from the international community and once again sparked discussions about Russia's geopolitical influence in the Middle East. So why did Putin choose this time for his Middle East visit?What is the intent behind this?This article will interpret it from two aspects: increasing diplomatic breakthrough efforts and enhancing economic resilience. First of all, Putin's visit to the Middle East shows Russia's intention to step up its diplomatic breakthrough. As an important player in the international arena, Russia has been engaged in a fierce geopolitical game with Western countries. However, over the past few years, Russia's international standing has taken a certain blow due to the Ukrainian crisis and Western sanctions against Russia. In order to break this situation, Russia is actively trying various diplomatic means to reshape its image.
This visit to the Middle East is one of a series of successive diplomatic activities undertaken by Putin, which undoubtedly shows that Russia is trying to increase its diplomatic breakthrough. Through high-level exchanges with Middle Eastern countries, Russia hopes to expand its influence in the region and regain its foothold. Second, Putin's visit to the Middle East is aimed at strengthening Russia's economic resilience. As a member of the OPEC+ alliance of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia has always maintained close energy cooperation with Middle Eastern countries. However, in recent years, Russia's economy has faced certain difficulties due to the sanctions and restrictions imposed on Russia by Western countries. Especially in terms of energy exports, Russia's oil and gas revenues have fallen sharply due to sanctions. Therefore, the main purpose of Putin's current visit to the Middle East region is to discuss the oil market issue with Middle Eastern countries and to find points of convergence of interests with major oil-producing countries. In particular, within the framework of "OPEC+", through joint production cuts and other means to stabilize oil** and improve Russia's economic resilience. On the one hand, the two objectives of this visit to the Middle East are to intensify diplomatic breakthroughs and expand Russia's influence in the Middle EastOn the other hand, it is to enhance economic resilience and seek cooperation opportunities with Middle Eastern countries.
These two objectives are interrelated and mutually reinforcing. By strengthening diplomatic relations, Russia can secure more support and cooperation opportunities for its own economic development;And strong economic power can also fight for Russia to have more say in the international arena. From another perspective, Putin's visit to the Middle East also reflects the limitations of the influence of the United States and the West, as well as sanctions and isolation against Russia. Russia's choice to visit the two major allies of the United States in the Middle East shows that Russia is not willing to be restricted and suppressed by Western countries all the time. By strengthening ties with Middle Eastern countries, Russia is trying to find a geopolitical balance and demonstrate its presence in the region. This is undoubtedly a response to the influence of the United States and the West, and it is also a response to sanctions and isolation of Russia on the grounds of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. To sum up, the core goal of Putin's Middle East visit is to increase diplomatic breakthrough efforts and enhance economic resilience. By strengthening high-level exchanges with Middle Eastern countries, Russia hopes to expand its influence in the region and reach a consensus on cooperation with major oil-producing countries to stabilize oil**;At the same time, by strengthening its economic resilience, Russia hopes to respond to the pressure of sanctions from Western countries and improve its economic strength.
However, how to find a convergence of interests in the Middle East, how to balance relations with Western countries, and how to rebuild its image on the international stage are all challenges and problems facing Russia. In the future, Russia needs to continue to increase its diplomatic efforts and explore more opportunities for cooperation in order to ensure its international status and economic development. Finally, readers are invited to share their views and opinions on Russia's visit to the Middle East: Do you think Russia will succeed in achieving a diplomatic breakthrough and improving its economic resilience?What do you think about Russia's Middle East policy?Putin's visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia to consolidate energy partnerships and strengthen regional influence. The two sides agreed to continue to implement production reduction measures to balance supply and demand in the oil market. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said OPEC+ countries could cut production further if needed. In terms of countermeasures, Russia and Iran have strengthened cooperation and signed a declaration on ways and means of combating, mitigating and compensating for the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures. In addition, Putin will meet with Raisi to discuss relations between Iran and Russia and the situation in Gaza.
This move will help Russia expand its influence in the Middle East, provide support for Russia's income increase and economic resilience, and also help Russia strengthen coordination with relevant countries in the face of Western sanctions. On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Putin has repeatedly called on relevant parties to abide by UN resolutions and expressed his intention to mediate between them, which will help ease the tension in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Russia** Putin recently visited Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Egypt and Turkey. He held talks with the leaders of these countries and discussed the political situation in the Middle East, anti-terrorism cooperation, and economic cooperation. The visit is seen as an important attempt by Russia to break through diplomatically and consolidate its economic resilience in the Middle East. In Syria, Putin met with Assad and discussed the military operations of the Syrian army in Idlib province and the security of the Syrian-Turkish border. Putin said that Russia will continue to support Syria in the fight against terrorism and the defense of territorial integrity. In addition, Putin also held a meeting with Turkey's Erdogan to discuss the situation in northern Syria and the issue of Syrian refugees. The leaders of the two countries pledged to strengthen cooperation to promote the political process in Syria and the settlement of the refugee issue.
During the talks with Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Putin reiterated Russia's support for Egypt and its willingness to strengthen bilateral relations. The parties discussed cooperation in various fields and signed a number of economic agreements. Putin said that cooperation between Russia and Egypt has broad prospects, and the two sides will continue to strengthen cooperation. This visit has brought Russia closer to the countries in the Middle East and promoted cooperation between all parties in the region. At the same time, Russia has also strengthened its image and position as a major external player in the geopolitical and security agenda of the Middle East region through this visit. At the same time, Russia has also restrained the US agenda and strategic layout in the Middle East by strengthening cooperation with Middle Eastern countries, and further enhanced Russia's influence and status in international affairs. In general, the visit is an important attempt by Russia in the diplomatic and economic field of the Middle East region. As Russia's influence in the Middle East grows, so will its position in international affairs. However, Russia's role in the Middle East is also facing competition and constraints from the United States and Western countries, and it is necessary to maintain strategic focus and continue to promote peace and stability in the Middle East.
What are your thoughts on this matter?Comments are welcome**!