China's statement has become a key guarantee for Putin's surprise foreign visit, because China has carried out a series of measures to promote economic, trade and cooperation with Russia and the Middle East. Recently, China signed local currency swap agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, involving up to 35 billion yuan. This will push China-Saudi Arabia's economic and trade cooperation to a new height. At the same time, the vast majority of Russia's foreign affairs have been settled in RMB, so Russia's various cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia also needs China's extensive participation and support.
There are two main reasons for Putin's tight schedule of this "lightning" visit, which is only one day long. First of all, Raisi will visit Russia on December 7, and Putin must hurry up after visiting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and return to Moscow for talks with Raisi. Second, there are currently a large number of Western dignitaries attending meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai. Even if Putin will not attend the meeting, if he stays in Dubai for too long, the outside world may take the opportunity to hype up the topic of the war in Ukraine. Therefore, with this "lightning visit", Putin was able to avoid a lot of unnecessary troubles and distractions.
Putin's visit focused on energy cooperation and oil market discussions with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia announced a production cut of 1 million barrels per day, the United Arab Emirates will cut production by more than 160,000 barrels, and Russia announced a production cut of 500,000 barrels. However, these production cuts have not caused oil prices to be sharply **, but have a ** trend, which is a matter of great concern to the three countries. There are multiple indications that Russia is not actually strictly implementing its declared pledge to cut production, but is secretly increasing production and reaping excess revenues. Therefore, Putin's visit will discuss the issue of oil prices in depth and seek more effective ways for all parties to cooperate.
Although the flight route of Putin's special plane was designed to be very safe and avoid the obstruction of many surrounding countries, in order to ensure Putin's safety, the Russian Air Force sent four Su-35S fighters to escort him. These fighters are armed with live ammunition of the R-73 close-range combat air-to-air missile and the R-77 medium-range air-to-air missile to provide enhanced protection. In addition, during the landing, the Russian army also sent a Mi-35 armed *** close escort to deal with possible ground missile threats. These measures fully demonstrate Russia's importance and protection of Putin.
During the flight, Putin's plane crossed Iranian airspace. Relations between Russia and Iran have always been very good, and over the past few years, Iran has often allowed Russian air force or special planes to fly over its airspace. In particular, during the 2014 war in Syria, Iran allowed Russian bombers to fly over its airspace in support of ground targets in Syria. Due to the close relations between Russia and Iran, it is very reassuring for Putin's special plane to pass through Iranian airspace, and it also provides a greater security guarantee for Putin's visit.
In short, Putin's surprise visit and the emergency escort of his special plane show Russia's important position and influence in the Middle East. Despite the tensions in the region, through China's statements and support, Putin was able to ensure the smooth running of the visit and to have in-depth exchanges with Saudi Arabia and the UAE on various important topics. A trend of peace in the Middle East is taking shape, and China is playing an active role in it. The visit is expected to further boost Putin's cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the UAE and provide better support for Russia's strategic response in the Middle East to emerge from isolation. The United States, Europe and the West are worried about this, fearing that the results of Putin's visit may exceed their expectations. In any case, with China's growing influence in the Middle East, the development of peace and stability will be an unstoppable trend.