Russian leader courts allies in Middle East but might not attend climate talks in DubaiPresident Vladimir Putin greets UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed at the airport in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Moscow is pressing its diplomatic push among energy-rich and influential monarchies in the Middle East. Isolated by the West over the Ukraine war, Putin is courting allies in the Middle East, where he will discuss oil, trade and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Putin was greeted on the runway by UAE officials, Russian television showed, before heading to the presidential palace under cavalry escort. Moscow is pressing its diplomatic push among energy-rich and influential Middle East countries, including with Saudi Arabia.