As Western countries strive to diplomatically isolate Russia, as evidenced by the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly by an overwhelming majority on Wednesday 2 March of a resolution demanding that Russia cease its intervention in Ukraine, the two main Gulf powers are distinguished by their desire to maintain a neutral, even ambiguous position with regard to Moscow.
While the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia supported the UN resolution adopted on Wednesday, Abu Dhabi decided on February 25 to abstain from voting on a similar text presented to the UN Security Council. A non-permanent member of the Council, the United Arab Emirates took over its presidency on Tuesday 1er March, for one month.
Unlike General Assembly resolutions, which are not binding, those presented to the UN Security Council, where Russia has a veto, have more weight and consequences. According to a North African diplomat, the choice to vote for the resolution of the General Assembly a few days after having abstained in the Security Council responds to the will “not to antagonize Russia without antagonizing the United States”. Either a balancing act that contrasts with the positions of the traditional allies of the United States or European countries.
“Taking sides would only breed more violence. [La priorité des Emirats arabes unis] is to encourage all parties to resort to diplomatic action,” argued Sunday, Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Ben Zayed, de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, to justify the abstention of the monarchy in the Security Council.
Growing frustration with Washington
The day before the vote, Antony Blinken had however called his Emirati counterpart, Abdallah Bin Zayed, to reaffirm “the importance of building a strong international response to support sovereignty” from Ukraine. Wasted effort.
The circumstantial neutrality of the Emirates is part of a context of growing frustration with the way in which the Biden administration treats, in their eyes, security issues in the Gulf. Shortly after taking office, Mr. Biden removed the Yemeni Houthi rebels from the list of terrorist organizations established by the United States. A decision badly experienced by Abu Dhabi.
Analysts close to the monarchy do not fail to point out that the United States has also, in their eyes, not taken seriously enough the firing of ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis in Yemen against Saudi and Emirati territories. , these last months. Russia, for its part, opportunely voted on Monday, February 28, for a resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates which aims to extend to the entire Houthi movement an arms embargo imposed by the UN on several leaders of the movement.
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