Sheikh Mohamed’s peace moves

United Arab Emirates President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Tuesday discussed the Ukrainian crisis and other issues of bilateral concern. President Sheikh Mohamed referring to the Ukrainian crisis “emphasised the need to keep dialogue between Russia and Ukraine open”, and President Putin “stressed that Russia was keen on the continuation of the UAE’s mediation efforts,” reported WAM. The Emirati news agency also said that President Putin briefed President Sheikh Mohamed about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and on “Russia’s efforts to maintain nuclear security.” President Sheikh Mohamed said that the UAE was monitoring the situation at the nuclear power plant. He conveyed to President Putin the position of Ukraine on many of the issues.

Even as the two sides are waging a relentless war for the last eight months, most Western countries, especially in Europe, which are neighbours to both Ukraine and Russia, are unable to play the role of peacemakers because most of them are either members of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) or European Union (EU), and both NATO and EU have positioned themselves against Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron wanted to keep the channels of communication open with Moscow but he was criticised by his European colleagues. The United States has been actively aiding the Ukrainian war effort. Turkey, which is a member of NATO, has been playing a mediating role, and it had succeeded in facilitating export of grains and fertilisers from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports through talks with Russia.

The UAE and the other Arab countries have been concerned about the war in Ukraine because several oil-producing Gulf Arab countries have been under pressure from the US to increase oil production to help the European countries during the winter with Russian gas supplies disrupted due to the West’s economic sanctions regime.

President Putin had said that the latest Opec decision to cut production was not against any country, but it was an attempt to maintain stability in the oil markets. The Opec decision to cut oil production has not been received well by Washington. But the Opec countries, including the Arab states, went by the economic rationale rather than by the American geopolitical strategy of punishing Russia for its war in Ukraine.

The peace initiative undertaken by President Sheikh Mohamed is important because it is necessary for countries not caught in European politics and rivalries to play the mediatory role. And President Putin expressed his appreciation of UAE’s role both in the exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia and in the bid to persuade the warring parties to negotiate.

The international role of the UAE is growing in crucial areas like that of climate change. UAE will be hosting the Cop-28 conference next year following the Cop-27 meeting at Sharm Al Sheikh in Egypt next month. The UAE leaders have been vocal in expressing concern over the challenges posed by climate change, and they have been setting the economic agenda for the future which reckons with climate change. So, when President Sheikh Mohamed suggested the diplomatic option to end the war, President Putin welcomed it. President Sheikh Mohamed also conveyed the Ukrainian position to the Russian leader. This is possible only when a leader enjoys the trust and confidence of both the sides.

President Sheikh Mohamed and the UAE enjoy the trust of both Ukraine and Russia. Neutral countries have the responsibility to end conflict through negotiations anywhere in the world. President Sheikh Mohamed has fulfilled the moral obligation of playing the peacemaker.