Russia’s Putin Visits UAE, Saudi Arabia to Talk Oil and Global Conflict |
Russian President Vladimir Putin began a rare trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia for meetings today with Emirati Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The leaders were due to discuss (NYT) global oil production and the wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, a Kremlin spokesperson and a Kremlin aide said. The flurry of diplomacy follows a drop in global oil prices (Reuters) and precedes Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Moscow tomorrow.
Putin has not traveled beyond China, Iran, or the former Soviet States since Russia invaded Ukraine in March 2022. Neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and thus are not required (AP) to comply with the ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes against Ukraine. The UAE’s business ties to Russia have expanded since Western countries began a sanctions campaign against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
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“The whistle-stop tour is seen as part of an attempt by Moscow to show it can maintain close ties with the Gulf despite western attempts to force the region to comply with restrictions and sanctions against Russia,” the Financial Times’ Anastasia Stognei writes.
“Although wider great-power competition with China and Russia should not be a main driver of U.S. policy in the [Middle East], it is possible that regional partners may turn to Beijing or Moscow if they find cooperation with Washington too troublesome,” the Carnegie Endowment’s Jennifer Kavanagh and Frederic Wehrey write for Foreign Affairs.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Washington Announces Visa Bans on ‘Extremist Settlers’ Committing Violence in West Bank |
The United States has not seen sufficient Israeli government action to “hold accountable extremist settlers who commit acts of violence,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said yesterday. Washington imposed the first bans (WaPo) on Tuesday; Palestinians also face visa bans if they undermine peace or stability in the West Bank. Rights groups have reported record high settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
On this episode of The President’s Inbox podcast, CFR expert Steven A. Cook discusses the renewed fighting in Gaza.
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Kenya, Samoa, Spain Join Alliance to Phase Out Domestic Oil and Gas Production |
The countries joined (BusinessGreen) the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, which has now doubled in size since it was launched two years ago. It includes more than twenty-four national and regional governments.
The United States will partner (Reuters) with thirty-five countries to conduct research and development work on nuclear fusion as a source of clean power, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry announced yesterday. Last month, the United States and the United Kingdom (UK) signed a cooperation agreement regarding nuclear fusion, while Australia, China, Germany, and Japan are also researching the technology.
In this CFR webinar, experts discuss nuclear fusion and the future of energy.
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UK Former PM Cameron Discussed Deepening Cooperation With China |
Recently appointed UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he expressed intent (Bloomberg) to have a “constructive relationship” with China during a call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that covered economic ties and the wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine. Cameron celebrated a “golden era” of UK-China relations when he was prime minister in 2015.
China/Japan: Japan’s government added seven Chinese organizations (Nikkei) to a list of foreign entities of concern for activities that could include the production of weapons of mass destruction. This will require Japanese exporters to obtain government permission to export to those entities unless it is clear that the materials will not be used to develop weapons.
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Nepal Authorities Arrest Ten People Accused of Sending Youth to Join Russian Army |
The detainees charged unemployed young people expensive sums for travel visas and then illegally sent them (Reuters) to be recruited into the Russian armed forces, a Kathmandu police official said. Nepal has called on Russia to return any Nepali soldiers in its armed forces.
India: As tech firm Apple continues to move parts of its global supply chain from China to India, it is pushing New Delhi (Reuters) to grant it an exception to a rule that would require iPhones to have standardized charging ports. India wants to implement such a rule to reduce electronic waste. |
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Chad, Mauritania Considering Dissolving G5 Sahel Counterinsurgency Group |
The other three founders of the G5 Sahel Joint Force have already announced they would quit (AFP) the alliance, which included an anti-extremism task force backed by France. Mali left the group in 2022, while Burkina Faso and Niger announced last week that they are leaving. The three countries have accused France’s role in the region of contributing to the G5’s inefficacy.
Mauritania: A court sentenced (BBC) former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to five years in jail for corruption, having found him guilty of money laundering. He ruled between 2009 and 2019; he ousted his predecessor in a coup and was later elected before reportedly falling out with his successor, who was once his close political ally.
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Zelenskyy to Virtually Address G7 Summit |
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to address (Kyodo) Group of Seven (G7) leaders at a Japan-hosted virtual summit today to discuss the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy was also supposed to address a classified U.S. Senate briefing on the war yesterday, but canceled (NYT) at the last minute.
This Backgrounder explains the role of the G7.
UK: New income requirements for migrants in the UK to be allowed to bring over family members have sparked confusion over how they will be implemented, the Financial Times reported. This week, the government announced that migrants need to earn a minimum of around $48,000 per year to be allowed to bring a family member, a threshold higher than the earnings of most of the UK’s population.
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Peru Court Orders Release of Jailed Former President Fujimori |
Alberto Fujimori has been serving a twenty-five-year prison sentence in connection with death squad killings in the 1990s, and his potential pardon and release has been the subject of years of legal battles. Yesterday, the court ruled in favor (AP) of a 2017 decision to release Fujimori on humanitarian grounds.
Venezuela: President Nicolás Maduro ordered state companies (FT) to extract oil in the territory of Essequibo that is run by neighboring Guyana after a weekend referendum vote in which Venezuelans claimed rights to the land. Guyana’s president said he would report the matter to the UN Security Council and International Court of Justice.
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Senate Approves Over Four Hundred Military Promotions After Lawmaker Drops Opposition |
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) had been blocking the promotions for weeks over his opposition to a Pentagon reimbursement policy for troops who travel out of state to obtain abortions. Both Republicans and Democrats pressured him to drop (AP) the opposition, saying it was endangering U.S. military readiness. |
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