Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that a Russia-Arab summit will be held later this year, as tensions between Moscow and the West continue to rise due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The announcement came during a meeting with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of Oman at the Kremlin, where Putin stated, “We plan to organize a summit between Russia and Arab countries this year,” noting that “many of our friends in the Arab world support this initiative.”

Putin further called for a summit between Russia and the Arab League, although he did not specify a date or location for the gathering. He emphasized that the current moment presents an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in several areas, including logistics, transportation, mutual investments, and agriculture.

On the topic of energy, the Russian president expressed Moscow’s desire to deepen collaboration, pointing out that Russian companies have shown strong interest in developing economic partnerships with Arab states.

This initiative comes as Moscow seeks to diversify its international alliances, especially in the Arab world, in response to the growing Western sanctions and political isolation it has faced since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022.