Sheik Mohamed, Putin Seal Major Strategic Deal in Moscow

Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s diplomatic visit to Moscow has taken UAE-Russia relations to new heights. Bilateral trade has reached $11.5 billion. The visit marked their 14th summit between Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which shows their strong strategic collaboration.

The leaders signed the most important Trade in Services and Investment Agreement (TISIA). This agreement strengthens UAE’s economic partnership with the Eurasian Economic Union. On top of that, President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan believes these trade figures will double in the next five years. This growth applies to both bilateral trade and relations with EAEU countries[-3].

Russian investments in the UAE have grown beyond $30 billion, while UAE’s investments in Russia stand at $16.8 billion according to 2024 reports. About 4,000 Russian companies now operate in the UAE, which shows the resilient economic connection between both nations. The summit aimed to strengthen cooperation between both countries in economy, trade, investment, space, and energy sectors.

Sheik Mohamed meets Putin to deepen strategic partnership

“We attach special importance to our relations with the United Arab Emirates. For Russia, the UAE is a friendly nation, and we have been maintaining contacts at a high political level.” — Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation

President Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan landed in Moscow on Thursday, August 7, 2025. This marked his second visit to Russia in less than a year, which clearly signals the growing strategic ties between both nations.

High-level reception at Vnukovo Airport

The UAE President received a grand welcome at Vnukovo Airport that matched his status as head of state. The ceremony unfolded with precise protocol as the national anthems of both countries echoed through the venue. A guard of honor stood proudly at attention while senior Russian officials lined up to greet Sheik Mohamed. Their presence demonstrated Russia’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with the Emirates.

Delegation members and ceremonial honors

Sheik Mohamed’s high-profile delegation included several of UAE’s leadership figures. Sheik Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who serves as Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs, joined the visit. The team also included Sheik Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Advisor to the UAE President, and Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of Supreme Council for National Security. The delegation grew stronger with cabinet members Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade; and Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi, Minister of Investment. Such a complete delegation highlighted the wide-ranging discussions planned during the visit.

Putin and Sheik Mohamed hold talks at the Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin personally welcomed Sheik Mohamed at the Kremlin. Their formal talks began in the St. George Hall after both delegations were introduced. The leaders spent 3.5 hours exploring their strategic partnership’s various aspects.

Sheik Mohamed emphasized that UAE-Russia relations rest on solid foundations of mutual trust and respect, built through five decades of constructive cooperation. Putin thanked the UAE for its ongoing mediation efforts in prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine. He stressed Russia’s commitment to developing stronger ties with the UAE, pointing to the steady growth in economic and investment cooperation.

The visit concluded with Putin hosting a warm luncheon for Sheik Mohamed and his delegation, which reinforced the friendly bilateral ties between both nations.

UAE and Russia sign major economic and transport agreements

The UAE and Russia finalized two major agreements to strengthen their economic partnership during a historic Moscow visit. The signing ceremony took place after President Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President Vladimir Putin concluded their high-level talks.

Trade in Services and Investment Agreement (TISIA) signed

Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, and Maxim Reshetnikov, Russian Minister of Economic Development signed the landmark Trade in Services and Investment Agreement. This bilateral framework focuses on services and investment that complements UAE’s existing Economic Partnership Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union, which deals with trade in goods.

TISIA will allow Russia to open 64 sectors and subsectors to UAE service providers, while the UAE opens 12 sectors to Russian businesses. Russian companies can now establish wholly owned subsidiaries with 100% Russian capital in sectors like IT, education services, and aircraft maintenance.

MoU on land transport cooperation finalized

Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Andrey Nikitin, Russian Minister of Transport signed a Memorandum of Understanding on land transport cooperation. This agreement creates opportunities to improve infrastructural collaboration between both nations.

Key sectors covered: fintech, logistics, healthcare

TISIA aims to boost collaboration in high-growth areas. The strategic sectors include:

• Financial technology
• Healthcare services
• Transportation
• Logistics operations
• Professional services

These initiatives build upon a strong trade relationship. UAE-Russia non-oil trade reached $11.50 billion in 2024, showing a 4.9% increase over 2023. Trade surged 75.3% year-on-year in the first half of 2025.

Al Zeyoudi emphasized that these agreements “represent a significant strengthening of our foreign trade network”. Both countries want to double their trade in services—currently valued at nearly $14 billion—by 2030-2031.

Leaders discuss regional peace and humanitarian mediation

The bilateral talks between the two nations went beyond economic partnerships to address crucial humanitarian and diplomatic issues. Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan thanked President Putin because Russia helped UAE intervene in prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.

UAE’s role in Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchanges

UAE has managed to keep its successful track record by intervening in 15 prisoner exchanges that freed 4,181 captives from both sides. President Putin recognized these humanitarian efforts, which received praise from Russian and Ukrainian leadership. Sheik Mohammed highlighted UAE’s steadfast dedication to this crucial humanitarian task.

Commitment to Middle East peace via two-state solution

Both leaders got into Middle East developments and emphasized the need for stronger diplomatic efforts to achieve complete peace. Sheik Mohammed restated UAE’s steadfast dedication to a two-state solution that forms the basis for regional stability and security. He emphasized his country’s strategy to strengthen global peace through peaceful conflict resolution.

Upcoming Russia-Arab Summit discussed

The leaders emphasized the importance of Russia-Arab Summit planned for October 2025. This summit, initiated by Putin, wants to build stronger ties between Russia and Arab nations. Sheik Mohammed reinforced UAE’s dedication to diplomatic solutions at regional and global levels during these talks.

Economic ties expand with ambitious trade goals

“Thank you for trusting Russian specialists in investment. We keep a close eye on this sector, which has been delivering tangible results.” — Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation

UAE and Russia’s commercial ties have reached unprecedented levels that form the life-blood of their growing mutually beneficial alliance. Their economic cooperation leads bilateral priorities, which recent record-breaking trade numbers and bold growth targets clearly show.

Bilateral trade reaches $11.5 billion

Russian-UAE trade has hit $11.5 billion, which shows deep economic connections between both countries. These numbers reveal a 4.9% rise from 2023. The first half of 2025 built strong momentum with bilateral commerce surging 75.3% compared to the previous year. UAE’s trade with the broader Eurasian bloc also grew by 27% in 2024 to nearly $30 billion.

Plans to double trade with Russia

President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan sees bigger opportunities ahead. “We would like this figure to double over the next five years, both at the bilateral level and with Eurasian countries,” he said during talks with President Putin. This vision lines up with UAE’s detailed Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) program. The program serves as the life-blood of its foreign trade strategy to boost non-oil foreign trade to $1.10 trillion by 2031.

The growing commercial relationship covers energy, technology, infrastructure, and space exploration. Both nations share interests in these sectors and have launched joint projects. UAE’s existing CEPAs helped achieve record non-oil trade of $816 billion in 2024, showing a 14.6% year-on-year increase.