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Saudi Arabia, UAE Refuse to Side with U.S. Against Russia

(MEMRI) H. Varulkar - Since the outbreak of the crisis in Ukraine, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have avoided taking a clear stance on the conflict and endorsing the position of the U.S., their major ally. The two countries refused to condemn Russia, due to their growing political, military and economic ties with it, and also due to their assessment that Russia is likely to become a prominent power in the new world order that is currently taking shape. Saudi Arabia and the UAE did vote in favor of condemning Russia at the UN General Assembly on March 2, 2022. Another reason is their strained relations with the U.S. administration due to Biden's attitude towards Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, and especially due to his lenient stance vis-a-vis Iran and his efforts to sign a nuclear agreement with it. Saudi Arabia and the UAE feel the U.S. has abandoned its allies and is disregarding the growing threat posed to them by Iran. On March 8, it was reported that bin Salman and Emirati Crown Prince Muhammad bin Zayed had both refused to accept phone calls from Biden about increasing oil production. The writer is Director of Research at MEMRI.
2022-03-24 00:00:00
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