Another is Egypt, that has been enjoying a steady supply of weapons from Moscow. A third is Iran; Russia also assists its ally, the Lebanon-based Shiite militia Hezbollah.
More than a hundred days have passed since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine that aimed at demilitarising and de-Nazifying the country.
According to estimates, during the three months of fighting, Russia has managed to establish control over 20 percent of Ukraine's territory. In the West, this has been presented as a failure and Ahmed Ayyach, a writer at the Lebanese A-Nahar newspaper, says the media war that's waged against Moscow has affected the minds of some people across the Middle East.
But the leaders of many Middle Eastern nations don't seem to share these concerns, says the journalist. Indeed, since the eruption of the conflict in February, the
delegations of many Arab states have visited Moscow.In his turn, foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has toured the Gulf and the region. In addition, he has held numerous calls with the powers-that-be,
cementing Russia's position in the Middle East.These meetings are dictated by the pressing reality.
Gas and oil prices continue to climb following a barrage of Western sanctions on Moscow. Those have already led to energy shortages across the world and pressure has been mounting on the Gulf states to pump more crude.
Moscow and the Gulf have been coordinating their activity to tackle the crisis. Cooperation was also seen on the front of Russian wheat exports, that have been hampered as a result of the sanctions.
Several Middle Eastern countries are reliant on the military and strategic assistance of Moscow that has only grown stronger throughout the years.
One such country is Syria, that has been getting immense military support since 2015, following the decision of President Vladimir Putin to send Russian troops to the war-torn country to help Bashar Al Assad defeat the terrorists and foreign fighters that have been tearing his land apart. Another is Egypt, that receives significant supplies of Russia-made weapons. A third is Iran; Tehran and its ally, the Lebanon-based militia Hezbollah, have been getting diplomatic support from the Kremlin.
The Gulf states have also been gradually tilting towards Russia over the past several years.
Even before the eruption of the operation in Ukraine, the
Gulf states have been regular customers of Russia's military industry. The coming to power of US President Joe Biden with his initial anti-Gulf rhetoric has pushed those nations even further into Moscow's fold. Cooperation has also been boosted around tourism, counter-terrorism and trade. For many, Russia has grown to be a nation that represented the voice of wisdom and responsible actions. Its policies stood in sharp contrast with those of the US, that snooped into the affairs of other nations and that imposed its will on them.