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Russia Delays First Russia–Arab Summit as Arab Leaders Snub Putin’s Invitation
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Russian leader Vladimir Putin postponed the inaugural Russia–Arab summit originally scheduled for October 15 in Moscow after receiving limited confirmations from Arab heads of state, Bloomberg reported on October 10.
According to a person familiar with the preparations, the summit was intended to demonstrate to Western powers—particularly the United States—that Moscow retained strong ties in the region.
However, as of Tuesday, only a few leaders, including Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the head of the Arab League, had confirmed their participation, while regional powers such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had not.
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Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said to Interfax the event could be rescheduled, depending on developments surrounding the Trump-brokered Israel–Hamas proposal.
Speaking in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Putin said the delay was made on his initiative: “I did this because I don’t want to interfere with the process that, as we hope, has now been set in motion.”
Experts view the postponement as a sign of Moscow’s waning clout in the Middle East. “Given Trump’s latest attempts to put pressure on the Kremlin, it would have been useful to show that Russia isn’t isolated and that it has influential friends,” said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.
The Kremlin began preparing for the event in April under the slogan “Cooperation for Peace, Stability, and Security,” inviting leaders from 22 Arab states and launching a dedicated website on October 3. The meeting was expected to be rescheduled for November.
Earlier, it was reported that the White House said a Trump–Putin meeting would only happen if Vladimir Putin also agreed to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while Putin floated the United Arab Emirates as a possible venue.
