Putin Makes Rare Visit to Mideast

His plane flanked by four fighter jets, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia began a rare trip on Wednesday to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, two oil-rich Gulf nations that have resisted pressure to take sides in the Ukraine war.

The talks touched on international crises, primarily Israel’s two-month-old war with Hamas — a conflict that has played into Mr. Putin’s geopolitical aims by distracting Western leaders from the war in Ukraine.

The Emirati president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, called Mr. Putin his “dear friend,” at the start of their talks, while the Russian leader praised the relationship between the two countries.