Far from isolated, President Putin is warmly received by America’s Arab allies in the Gulf. While pageantry that included a Russian flag in Abu Dhabi skies may fall short of complete shift of alliances, it should worry Washington.

The Air Force of the United Arab Emirates went all out for the Russian guest Wednesday. Upon arrival, jets painted the sky with the Russian white, blue, and red colors as Mr. Putin walked the red carpet to meet the Emirati president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Camels and cavalry were stationed on the road as Mr. Putin’s entourage was driven to the palace. 

After a few hours, the Russian president left for neighboring Saudi Arabia, where Riyadh similarly gave him the red carpet treatment. Neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia — nor America, nor Israel — are members of the International Criminal Court that back in March issued a global arrest warrant against Mr. Putin, pending trial at the Hague for alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine.  

Shortly after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, President Biden said in his State of the Union address that Mr. Putin is “isolated from the world more than he ever has been.” On Wednesday the Department of Justice filed “for the first ever charges under the U.S. war crimes statute against four Russia- affiliated military personnel,” Attorney General Garland said in a statement. 

Since launching the Ukraine invasion the Russian president was rarely seen outside of his comfort zone, traveling mostly to friendly former Soviet republics, Syria, or Communist China. The last time he visited the Gulf was in 2019. By going to the Mideast now he hopes to turn the table on America’s efforts to isolate Russia. 

Russia and Saudi Arabia can “work together for the good of the whole world,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said following their meeting Wednesday. Much to Washington’s chagrin, a greater coordination between these two major oil producers could lead to higher prices for oil in America and Europe. 

Beyond oil, Mr. Putin sees the Gaza war as an opportunity to reassert Russia as a player in Mideast politics. He has said several times that the Hamas-launched war is a sign of Washington’s diplomatic failure. In Moscow’s view, America’s Arab allies are eager to distance themselves from Mr. Biden’s largely pro-Israel stance on the war.

The Kremlin has long proposed to host a Moscow Arab-Israeli peace summit. To date Russia was seen as a marital no player and the gathering never materialized. Russian diplomats, nevertheless, have never tired of raising the summit idea at the United Nations and other international fora.  

Following Mr. Putin, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, is expected to land at Abu Dhabi to “pay special attention to the problem of Palestinian-Israeli settlement, of course, and security issues in the Middle East,” his spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Wednesday. 

Moscow “sees itself as the only actor that can talk to all sides in the Mideast,” a Russia watcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, John Hardie, tells the Sun.

The Gulf countries declined to join American-sponsored condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he notes. They also share with Moscow the need to control oil markets.

Yet, Mr. Putin’s strongest ties in the region are with the Islamic Republic of Iran and its allies, such as President Assad of Syria. The Tehran alliance further tightened following the Ukraine war. Iran sells drones and ammunition to Moscow, and in return gets cooperation in development of armaments. 

The Gulf countries, not to mention Israel, see America as their chief ally when it comes to security. Yet, there is value in maintaining relations with Moscow. “The Emiratis, the Saudis, and the Israelis are leaning on Russia not to sell advanced jet fighters to Iran, and I don’t think Russia wants to go all in with Iran,” Mr. Hardie says. 

While the Saudis have recently renewed diplomatic ties with Iran, much animosity remains. For the Kremlin, in contrast, Tehran is the go-to address in the Mideast. When he returns from the trip to the Gulf, Mr. Putin plans to host Tehran’s President Raisi on Thursday. 

The top reason for Mr. Putin’s flurry of Mideast activities is better coordination over energy policy. Russia is an adjunct to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, known as OPEC+, which was unable to agree on production cuts in its most recent meeting.

The Saudi crown Prince, known as MbS, was supposed to fly over to Moscow, so the Russian mountain instead went to Mohammad. Prior to his attempt to isolate Mr. Putin, Mr. Biden called to turn MbS into a “pariah.” The two may not be best of allies, but their mind melt should at least raise some concerns at the White House.