Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia today where he will hold talks with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a rare trip abroad to discuss oil, OPEC+ and the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, Reuters reports.

The meeting between Putin and the crown prince, whose countries pump one fifth of the world’s oil, comes after oil prices declined despite a pledge by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia (OPEC+) to further curtail supply.

Putin is due to hold talks with President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and then travel to Saudi Arabia for his first face-to-face meeting with the Saudi prince since October 2019.

They will also discuss Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the situation in Syria and Yemen, and broader issues of stability in the Gulf, the Kremlin said.