{"id":39046,"date":"2019-10-15T21:13:42","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T21:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/10\/15\/russias-putin-seeks-to-enhance-ties-to-us-allied-uae\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:21:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:21:42","slug":"russias-putin-seeks-to-enhance-ties-to-us-allied-uae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/15\/russias-putin-seeks-to-enhance-ties-to-us-allied-uae\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia\u2019s Putin seeks to enhance ties to US-allied UAE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, as part of a Mideast tour aimed at strengthening ties between Moscow and this longtime U.S. ally amid tensions in the wider Persian Gulf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Dhabi\u2019s powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met Putin at the airport and traveled with him to the Qasr Al Watan palace. As they arrived, troops on horseback flanked their limousine and military jets flew overhead, leaving a trail of smoke in the color of the Russian flag. Smiling Emirati schoolchildren waved Russian and UAE flags. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The martial demonstrations, mirroring one given to Pope Francis in February, showed the importance the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, put on Putin\u2019s first visit since 2007. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of that is simply business. Russians increasingly have turned to the UAE\u2019s skyscraper-studded city of Dubai to both do business and vacation along its beaches. Other emirates as well see Russian travelers, with some hotels having their signs in Cyrillic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia and other nations also have joined OPEC in a grouping called OPEC+, cutting their production to help boost prices. Crude oil sold for over $100 a barrel in the summer of 2014 before bottoming out below $30 a barrel in January 2016. On Monday, it traded just under $60 a barrel for benchmark Brent crude. <\/p>\n\n\n\t