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The first-ever Russia–Arab summit, which Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced in May, has been postponed after key Arab leaders refused to confirm their attendance, Bloomberg reports, citing informed sources and Ukrinform.
The summit, initially scheduled for October 15, was meant to be one of the Kremlin’s top foreign policy events of the year, aimed at demonstrating to Western leaders — particularly U.S. President Donald Trump — that Russia enjoys influence and backing in the Arab world, one source said.
Russia had been preparing for the gathering since April, when Putin first announced the initiative. The Kremlin invited leaders of all 22 member states of the Arab League to Moscow under the slogan “Cooperation for Peace, Stability, and Security.” A dedicated summit website was launched on October 3.
However, only a few accepted the invitation — Syria’s new president Ahmad al-Sharaa and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
Regional heavyweights such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi did not confirm their attendance.
On Thursday, the Kremlin officially canceled the summit, citing the beginning of Gaza conflict resolution efforts under Trump’s plan as the reason.
Despite disappointment over the setback, sources told Bloomberg that the Kremlin still hopes to reschedule the summit, likely in November.
“Putin wanted to show everyone he’s the leader of the so-called ‘global majority.’ But what kind of majority is that without the Arab world?” – said political analyst Andrei Kolesnikov.
Kolesnikov added that Putin “wants to be as influential in the Middle East as the Soviet Union once was, but he lacks the resources.” Even former Soviet republics, whose leaders met this week at a summit in Dushanbe, are pursuing multi-vector policies, Bloomberg notes.
As reported earlier, Putin traveled to Tajikistan on October 9 to attend the Russia–Central Asia summit and the CIS meeting.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch urged Tajikistan to deny Putin entry or arrest him, citing the International Criminal Court’s warrant for his arrest.
