Faisal’s view
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a roundtable with journalists from BRICS countries on Friday, including myself in my capacity as Editor-in-Chief of Arab News representing the media in Saudi Arabia, which has been invited to join the major emerging markets bloc. Putin’s confident statements struck several chords with the Arabic speaking world — and have implications beyond it.
This was my fourth visit to Moscow, but my first since the start of the war in Ukraine. Apart from the missing McDonald’s golden arches and logos of other global brands, the city didn’t bear the signs of Western sanctions. On the contrary, it was buzzing with life. Russian officials appeared at ease — for a nation at war — and even allowed the visiting journalists to take their mobile phones to the meeting with Putin.
There were no ground rules with the President’s availability prior to the BRICS summit in Kazan, apart from one: No questions about his personal life. The two-hour session, broadcast live, covered everything from Ukraine, to the Middle East, to whether or not he feared arrest if he attended the G20 summit in Brazil.
And hard as this may be to hear in Washington, his words resonated with Arabs, in the Middle East and globally. At a time when the US faces harsh criticism in the region for failing to contain the war in Gaza, vetoing ceasefires, and continuing to arm Israel, Putin reiterated his support for a Palestinian state and invited President Mahmoud Abbas as a guest to attend the BRICS Summit.
“Palestinians will not leave their land,” Putin said. He lamented the disbanding of the Middle East Quartet — the diplomatic initiative that included Russia, the US, the EU, and the UN — which was effective at mediating before the US “monopolized all the work.” Putin hinted that Moscow’s private discussions with Israel and Iran could yield a “middle ground” that would avert a wider regional conflict.
His messaging feeds into the discontent in the Arab world, US college campuses, and beyond. This discontent ought to serve as a reminder to Washington that there’s no ‘Las Vegas rule’ to our region — what happens in the Middle East doesn’t remain in the Middle East. Evidently, a recent Arab News/YouGov poll of Arab-American voters showed that Palestine is their top concern, and the group is hugely motivated to vote in this election. The Biden administration’s handling of Gaza has sparked a backlash, even if there’s no alternative given the perception that Donald Trump is even more pro-Israel.
The Ukraine conflict was also a point of discussion. When I inquired about reports that Saudi Arabia might host peace talks, Putin expressed openness, noting Riyadh’s sincerity as a mediator. However, he stressed that Ukraine would have to abandon its own decree banning the negotiation with Russia as long as he (Putin) is president, and return to the 2022 Istanbul agreement.
It’s important to note that while Saudi Arabia has condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The kingdom has engaged and maintained strong ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, mediating a prisoner swap in 2022 that also saw the release of US citizens.
For many Arabs, Ukraine and Gaza elicit feelings of a double standard and Western hypocrisy. If both Israel and Russia are occupiers, then why is one shunned and the other protected. This sentiment has probably hardened since a 2022 Arab News/YouGov poll showed that only 16 percent of Arabs blamed Russia for the war with Ukraine, while a combined majority blamed NATO and the Biden administration.
The importance of US power and influence in the Gulf and the Middle East is undeniable. But when it comes to winning the hearts and minds of what used to be called the “Arab Street” — be it in Detroit or Dammam — Putin seems to be the one speaking their language.
Faisal J. Abbas is an award-winning journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Arab News.