Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, defying US and European attempts to isolate him and seeking to strengthen partnerships important to Moscow.
The Russian leader plans to discuss the oil market and Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his trip, Interfax news service reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov didn’t mention the COP28 summit, which is taking place this week in the neighboring emirate of Dubai.
The visit signals Putin is becoming more emboldened in traveling outside Russia despite US and European attempts to shun him on the global stage.
In an interview with Bloomberg on Monday, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman emphasized the level of trust and cooperation between Riyadh and Moscow on oil policy.
The relationship between the two countries forms the basis of the OPEC+ alliance.