Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

From "Puppets" To Players: Ukraine War Reveals Shift For US's Gulf Allies

From "Puppets" To Players: Ukraine War Reveals Shift For US's Gulf Allies

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have stressed their commitment to the OPEC+ oil alliance, which Riyadh and Moscow lead, despite mounting US sanctions on Russian crude that culminated in a ban on Tuesday.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has exposed a once unthinkable divergence between Washington and key Middle East allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the oil giants that are increasingly independent on the international stage.

The wealthy Gulf nations, which host US forces and have dependably backed Washington for decades, have notably refrained from supporting President Joe Biden's administration as it tries to choke Moscow's lifelines, from energy to diplomacy.

Analysts say the new position, rooted in many discords including the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi hit squad, reveals a turning point in Gulf relations with the US, long the region's protector against neighbour Iran.

"More than an actual shift, this moment is definitely a catalyst for Gulf-US relations," Anne Gadel, a Gulf expert and contributor to the French think-tank Institut Montaigne, told AFP.

"The optics are that they are conscious that they need to prepare for a different Middle East, and that the balance of power is changing in general," she added.

The United Arab Emirates, which currently holds the rotating UN Security Council presidency, abstained last month from voting on a US-Albanian draft resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine.

And as the now two-week-old war in Ukraine since sends energy costs soaring, the Gulf countries have so far resisted Western pressure to raise oil output in an attempt to rein in prices.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE, meanwhile, have stressed their commitment to the OPEC+ oil alliance, which Riyadh and Moscow lead, despite mounting US sanctions on Russian crude that culminated in a ban on Tuesday.

The UAE reaffirmed that commitment on Thursday, a day after its ambassador to Washington said his country would encourage OPEC to "consider higher production levels".

Oil for protection


According to a Wall Street Journal report Tuesday citing Middle East and US officials, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE's Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, their countries' de facto rulers, have both declined US requests to speak to Biden in recent weeks.

However, the report "does not reflect reality", said Emily Horne, spokeswoman for the White House's National Security Council, adding that Biden had spoken to Saudi King Salman last month.

"There have been no requests for calls since that conversation," she said.

But the US president and the crown prince haven't spoken since Biden took office and vowed to treat the kingdom as a "pariah" state over Khashoggi's October 2018 murder in Istanbul that the CIA blamed on the Saudi royal.

Asked by The Atlantic magazine whether Biden misunderstands him, the 36-year-old prince shrugged: "Simply, I do not care."

Founded on an American battleship in 1945, when then Saudi king Abdul Aziz bin Saud and US president Franklin D. Roosevelt first held talks, the US alliance with Saudi Arabia, and later with neighbouring monarchies, has always been defined as an oil-for-protection arrangement.

In the Arab world, the six Arab countries of the Gulf, hosting US and other foreign troops and bases, were long regarded as "puppets" for the Americans.

This started changing a decade ago when the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings sidelined traditional Arab powers such as Egypt and Syria, allowing the stable and prosperous Gulf states to play a more prominent role.

With this change, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the two biggest Arab economies, made clear that they are seeking an independent foreign policy based on national interests.

The Gulf allies are now fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen and have strengthened ties with Russia and China, while the UAE has established ties with Iran's arch-enemy, Israel.

"The UAE (shouldn't) be projected as a puppet of the United States anymore," Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a political science professor in the UAE, told CNN this month.

"Just because we have such great relations with America, we do not take orders from Washington, and we have to do things consistent with our own strategy and priority."

Military downgrade


Many frustrations have strained relations, including Biden's engagement with Iran, the US refusal to label Yemen rebels as terrorists, and the showdown over Khashoggi's murder.

But security is at the heart of the matter: the lack of a strong US response when Saudi's Aramco oil facilities were attacked in 2019, and Washington's announced desire to downgrade its military commitments in the Middle East.

"Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE... are no longer willing to rely on the United States as the ultimate guarantor of security," Hussein Ibish from the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington wrote last week.

"While the United States remains a primary strategic partner, these... vulnerable states with much to lose have no choice but to diversify their diplomatic options and strategic toolkits."

"The rise of a multipolar world involving much greater global power and influence, mainly by Russia and China, is inevitable," he added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×