Putin sends coat to Abu Dhabi’s billionaire ruler who needs it most

The normally genial Vladimir Putin gave his coat to the billionaire United Arab Emirates president as he felt cold outside his Russian palace.

As Putin looked on from the West, he handed over his luxurious Italian coat to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in frigid St. Petersburg.

The chief of the fourth-richest family on earth, with an estimated fortune of £27bn, smiled and draped his coat over his skirt as he left.

Mohammed opted for Putin’s coat instead of the light-colored coat held by his own staff standing outside.

It’s a relief for countless people worried about whether Putin will help battered billionaires stay warm this winter.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi met the President yesterday at Konstantinovsky Palace to discuss their “shared concerns” over the “Ukrainian crisis”.

The Gulf state’s ruler said he had been in Russia for talks on “several issues of mutual concern, including the Ukraine crisis,” he tweeted yesterday.

He stressed “the importance of engaging in dialogue to reduce tensions and reach a diplomatic solution”.

While Putin let Mohammad toast, Ukraine and much of Europe are bracing for a cold and dark winter ahead as gas supplies drop.

Countless homes use natural gas to keep lights on, boilers hot and ovens roaring.

But Russia has cut off most of its gas pipelines, meaning many countries are reducing gas use in case Russia permanently shuts down gas taps.

Although Brutal missile attacks on the Kremlin on Monday and Tuesday Attacked about 30 percent of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, which provides heat, water and electricity to millions of people.

About 50 percent of Ukraine’s gas fields are located in Kharkiv, four miles from the front.

Energy officials are urging Ukrainians not to use household appliances such as ovens and washing machines to save electricity.

While the State Forest Resources Administration has cut down hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of firewood to help Ukrainians stay warm.

In addition to Ukraine’s energy problems, the EU has also reduced imports of Russian gas so EU member states won’t be held hostage.

But as Ukraine buys most of its natural gas from its European neighbors, that means its energy supply will shrink further.

At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok last month, Putin said: “We will not supply gas, oil, coal, heating oil – we will not supply anything.

‘Will there be any political decisions that contradict the contract? Yes, we just won’t satisfy them. If it contradicts our interests, we will not offer anything.

“We only have one thing left to do: Like the famous Russian fairy tale, we’ll let the wolf’s tail freeze.”

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