UAE announces $100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday ordered $100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine for “crisis-affected civilians” more than a week after meeting with the Russian president. “.

United Arab Emirates still relatively neutral He sought to maintain strong ties with Moscow during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while occasionally joining much of the international community’s support for Kyiv since the outbreak of the war in February.

Nahyan was in Russia last week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called relations between the two countries an “important factor for stability” in the region and the world.

But Dr Marva Mazid, a senior scholar at the Middle East Institute’s Defence and Security Program, said there was no contradiction between Nahyan’s meeting with Putin and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

“This is part of the UAE’s vision to resolve the conflict – to engage both sides in every way,” she told i24 News.

“As for Russia’s view of this $100 million in humanitarian aid, it’s ironically pretty good about it; any relief to Ukrainian civilians would allow Russia to focus on the military part of its war without worrying about it humanitarian consequences. ”

After al-Nahyan’s meeting with Putin, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani The Russian leader met in Kazakhstan in an apparent attempt to defuse tensions between Moscow and Doha, which have risen in the wake of Russia’s attacks on its neighbor.

“It is worth noting that key U.S. regional partners, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Israel, have maintained a balanced position on the conflict, which has made them all accepted as potential interlocutors and meditators, ‘ said Dr. Mazid.

“They even take turns in mediation roles. That’s an advantage the UAE maintains.”

Meanwhile, Reem bint Ebrahim al-Hashimy, UAE Minister of International Cooperation, stressed that the recently announced aid stemmed from al-Nahyan’s the importance of unity In times of war and conflict, official WAM National News Agency reported.

He stressed that the Gulf countries provide similar Relief aid to Ukraine in recent months, Including planes to deliver aid to Ukrainian refugees in Poland and Moldova in response to a UN call.

“The UAE has a proven track record in delivering humanitarian aid and has been ranked for many years as the world’s largest donor of development aid (as a percentage of its gross national income),” said Dr. Maziad, visiting professor of international relations at the University of Maryland. United States .

“So this is a diplomatic practice and reputation that the UAE wants to maintain. Humanitarian aid to Ukrainian civilians is an important part of its foreign policy in this regard.”