Without a critical mass of Arab leaders, Moscow stopped its great diplomatic gamble at the last minute. The test of strength that Putin wanted remains on hold, conditioned by Trump’s plan for Gaza, and reveals growing discomfort in Arab capitals
The debut of the Russia-Arab conference, scheduled for October 15 in Moscow, was postponed at the last minute due to a lack of confirmations from heads of state.
The Kremlin saw the meeting as a key to signaling to allies and rivals that it maintains influence in the Arab world. Officially, the postponement was announced this Thursday, with the justification that Arab leaders cannot travel while the Israel–Hamas proposal mediated by Donald Trump advances.
The new date “will depend on how the implementation of Trump’s plan evolves,” said Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, after a phone call with the Iraqi prime minister.
Moscow invited 22 leaders to a forum under the slogan “cooperation for peace, stability and security” — and even launched a website on October 3. Until Tuesday, only a few had confirmed, including Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the secretary general of the Arab League.
Regional “heavyweights” such as Mohammed bin Salman (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed bin Zayed (UAE) and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egypt) were not confirmed. The Kremlin admits rescheduling this conference for November.
The postponement is read as a setback for Vladimir Putin and a reflection of the greater interest of several Arab capitals in strengthening ties with Trump, who has threatened new sanctions on Moscow and has praised Arab leaders for their role in talks with Hamas for the ceasefire in Gaza and the subsequent peace agreement. On the other hand, several analysts note that the war in Ukraine has reduced Russia’s diplomatic margin in the Middle East, while the US and China expand their influence.
“Putin wanted to show himself as leader of the ‘global majority’, but without the Arab world this is difficult”, summarizes political scientist Andrei Kolesnikov, quoted by Bloomberg.
