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Putin postpones key summit as many Arab leaders unable to travel to Moscow amid Gaza peace plan
Vladimir Putin, however, said that the delay was made it his own accord, as he did not want the summit to interfere with the Gaza peace plan implementation.
Amid a lack of attendance from Arab leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called off the Russia-Arab conference, a debut event that he hoped would bolster his influence in the region.
The Russia-Arab conference, which was supposed to be held in Moscow on October 15, was one of the most important foreign policy initiatives this year, according to the Kremlin.
The conference was aimed at sending a message to Western leaders, particularly US President Donald Trump, that Russia had support and influence across the Arab World, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the event preparations.
While the last-minute cancellation is disappointing, the Kremlin is sure that the conference can be rearranged for a later date, the person added.
Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, said during a video interview shared on Telegram that the rescheduling of the event "will depend on how the situation develops in the context of implementing Trump's plan and so on".
"We'll see what our Arab friends suggest," Ushakov added.
The Kremlin said that the summit was officially postponed late on Thursday, as many heads of state are unable to travel to Russia amid the enforcement of the US-brokered Gaza peace plan in the Middle East.
The statement came after Vladimir Putin had a call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
On Friday, the Russian President said that the delay was made at his own initiative. Speaking to reporters, he said, "I did this because I don't want to interfere with the process (Gaza peace plan) that, as we hope, has now been set in motion."
Russia has been preparing for the conference since at least April this year, when Putin first announced the plan. The invite for the summit was sent out to 22 Arab state heads, which was to be held under the slogan "cooperation for peace, stability and security".
On October 3, Moscow even launched a website dedicated to the Russia-Arab conference.
However, even as Tuesday approached, only a few leaders had confirmed their participation, including Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the head of the Arab League. The heavyweights of the Arab world, like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, had not confirmed their presence.
On Friday, the Kremlin indicated that the summit would be rescheduled for November.
What experts say?
The delay in Putin's summit hints at the Arab world's increasing interest in building ties with the US, while President Donald Trump has expressed frustration with the Russian leader over his refusal to end the conflict in Ukraine despite diplomatic efforts.
Earlier on Thursday, the US President threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia and at the same time, in recent weeks, he has been heaping praises on Arab leaders for helping facilitate the progress with Hamas for the Gaza peace plan deal. Last month, Trump also met Arab officials in New York.
Alexander Gabuev, Berlin-based director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said, "Given Trump's latest attempts to put pressure on the Kremlin, it would have been useful to show that Russia isn’t isolated and that it has influential friends."
Russia's influence in the Arab region has been fading for some time now as the conflict in Ukraine consumes much of Moscow's military and economic power. The Kremlin's presence in the Middle East was further weakened by the collapse of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime in 2024.
Additionally, Russia's ties with Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, are essential for global energy supplies, as both of them are members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Moscow-based political analyst Andrei Kolesnikov said, "Putin wanted to show everyone that he is the leader of the ‘global majority,’ but what kind of majority is that without the Arab world?"
"He would like to be as big a player there as the Soviet Union once was, but he lacks the resources," Kolesnikov was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
Putin is currently in Dushanbe this week for a summit of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which unites some former Soviet republics. Kolesnikov said, "But even those countries, naturally, pursue multi-vector policies."
