Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, arrived in Moscow on Thursday for high-level discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, focusing primarily on the Ukraine conflict and a range of Middle Eastern matters. The Kremlin has described the visit as highly significant, reflecting the growing diplomatic weight Qatar holds on the global stage.
According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the two leaders are expected to engage in a “serious conversation” encompassing multiple areas of mutual interest and to finalise several bilateral agreements. “It is difficult to overestimate the role of Qatar as a whole now in many regional and even world affairs. Qatar is our good partner, Russian-Qatari relations are developing very dynamically, contacts between the heads of state are quite frequent,” Peskov remarked.
Qatar has previously taken on a mediating role in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, playing a part in organising the reunification of children who had been separated from their families during the conflict.
Both nations confirmed earlier this week that the summit would include talks on advancing peace efforts to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. While former U.S. President Donald Trump has made repeated claims about his desire to halt the ongoing “bloodbath”, tangible progress has yet to materialise. Russia, for its part, has acknowledged the complexities involved in reaching a negotiated settlement.
In an interview with Russia’s TASS news agency, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, confirmed that the discussions would cover not only Ukraine but also the situations in Syria and Gaza, as well as cooperation in energy, particularly in liquefied natural gas (LNG).