Following high-level US-Russia discussions on the Ukraine conflict, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a meeting with the UAE leader on Wednesday.
Rubio’s meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, coincides with ongoing U.S. efforts to maintain a fragile ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
The UAE, having established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, has played a crucial role in facilitating prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.
Details of the approximately 30-minute meeting between Rubio, Sheikh Mohammed, and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan haven’t been released. This follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with Sheikh Mohammed on Monday.
Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are under consideration as potential venues for peace negotiations to end the Ukraine war, which marks its third anniversary on Monday. Saudi Arabia is also a potential location for a meeting between former President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a possibility that could significantly benefit Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The meeting took place at an Abu Dhabi convention center hosting the International Defense Exhibition and Conference, where both Ukraine and Russia are showcasing weaponry, despite Western sanctions against Russia.
Despite sanctions, Russian investment continues to flow into Dubai’s thriving real estate market. Daily flights between the Emirates and Moscow provide a route for Russians evading conscription and members of the Russian elite, as well as for Ukrainian refugees. The UAE, an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, has become a haven for both.
Rubio’s visit also included a stop at Abu Dhabi’s Abrahamic Family House, a complex encompassing a Catholic church, a Jewish synagogue, and an Islamic mosque.
—Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.