Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, flanked by four fighter jets, undertook a rare one-day tour of the Middle East, visiting Saudi Arabia following a brief stop in the United Arab Emirates.

Putin arrived in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital that is holding the UN’s COP28 climate negotiations, on Wednesday. He was brought to the presidential palace, where he was welcomed with a 21-gun salute as well as a flyby by the UAE military jets reportedly trailing smoke in Russian flag colors.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, referred to Putin as a “dear friend.” These thoughts were echoed by Russia’s president.

The relations, largely because of Sheikh Mohammed’s position, have reached an unprecedented high level, Putin said to Sheikh Mohammed. The UAE is Russia’s primary trading partner in the Arab world.

The meeting was Russia’s effort to establish a more powerful presence in the Middle East, with the oil cooperation and Israel-Hamas conflict on its agenda.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, the two leaders addressed bilateral cooperation in the energy industry as well as innovative technology. Putin then went off to Riyadh, where he visited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud — their first interaction in person since October 2019.

Putin cordially thanked the crown prince for inviting him in introductory remarks broadcast on Russian television, saying he had anticipated MBS to visit Moscow, but there were modifications to his plans. He stated that their next meeting ought to take place in Moscow and that nothing will impede the development of their friendly relations.

Putin’s meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince came as oil prices plummeted, despite a vow by OPEC+, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (abbreviated OPEC), along with allies led by Russia, to decrease output even further.

However, it was unclear what Putin, who has seldom left Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war, wanted to discuss precisely with the crown prince of the world’s top crude exporter.

Putin will receive Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday in Moscow. The UAE will then welcome Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister on Friday as well as Saturday. Putin’s unusual visit to the region is his first since meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in July 2022 in Iran.

After the International Criminal Court (abbreviated the ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him in March, accusing him of deporting Ukraine’s children, Vladimir Putin has made few international tours.

Neither the United Arab Emirates nor Saudi Arabia have joined the founding treaty of the ICC. Thus they are not required to arrest him if he reaches their territory.

Putin has condemned Israel’s two-month bombing of the Gaza Strip as a failure of US diplomacy. He has proposed that because of its cordial relations with Israel as well as the Palestinians, Moscow may act as a mediator.

Putin’s journey to the Middle East is also part of his efforts to show that Western efforts to isolate Moscow via sanctions for its war in Ukraine have flopped.

He appears to be quite delighted to be in Abu Dhabi, said Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor, James Bays. He noted that it is uncertain how the visit will be perceived in Washington because the UAE has close connections with the US.