On December 6, Russia** Putin visited the United Arab Emirates, and Iran allowed four Su-35S fighters of the Russian Air Force to cross its airspace, fly over the Persian Gulf into UAE airspace, and follow Putin after the plane landed. This scene is unprecedented in the history of the Middle East, and in the eyes of the Russian side, it reflects the UAE's importance and trust in Putin's visit and provides Russia with full room to play.
The reason why the UAE made an exception to allow Russian Air Force fighters to cross the airspace and land, on the one hand, is a sign of trust in the Russian side, and on the other hand, it is also a warning and deterrent to potential saboteurs. Taking into account the US military bases in the Middle East and the use of Western fighter jets by many Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have made such a move in order to protect Putin's security. This action demonstrates the dissatisfaction of Middle Eastern countries with the United States' favoritism towards Israel and the desire to exert pressure through Russia's visit to introduce a multilateral security cooperation mechanism.
The Su-35S fighters used the "two in two near" payload mode in long-range patrols during operations, that is, they were armed with two R-77-1 medium-range air-to-air missiles and two R-73M short-range air-to-air missiles. This payload mode is designed to meet the needs of low-intensity air combat. Although these fighters are not "heavily armed", their presence serves as a political signal that the relationship between the countries of the Middle East and the United States is fundamentally changing.
Russia**Putin's visit to the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is a major blow to the United States and Western countries. The United States and Western countries have been trying to use various means to prevent Russia's international activities from visiting and curbing Russia's influence. However, the success of the visit shows that Middle Eastern countries are becoming less dependent on the United States and want to establish multilateral security cooperation mechanisms and seek more partners.
In addition, the countries of the Middle East are dissatisfied with the United States' bias in favor of Israel, believing that the United States has not adhered to principles in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but has blindly favored Israel. The countries of the Middle East hope to exert pressure on the United States through Russia's visit and push the international community to take action to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East.
Relations between the countries of the Middle East and the United States are undergoing fundamental changes. With the return of the United States to the market, Middle Eastern countries and the United States have become competitive in the international market. Countries in the Middle East are aware of the declining global demand for oil, and they want their oil to generate higher value and lay the foundation for social transformation in their own countries. Therefore, they want to maintain oil prices by cutting production and cooperate with oil producers such as Russia. During his visit to the Middle East, Putin discussed joint production cuts as an important agenda item to ensure the stability of oil prices.
Gone are the days when a handful of Western countries could dictate global affairs. The international community generally agrees that peace and development are and that all countries and nations, big or small, strong or weak, are equal. Middle Eastern countries hope to abandon the practice of forming cliques and factions and safeguard global peace and development. Their invitation and trust in Russia is a challenge to the existing world order and hopes to achieve more development opportunities through multilateral cooperation.