Editing Vladimir Putin (section)

=== Middle East and Africa ===
{{See also|Israel–Russia relations|Iran–Russia relations|Russia–South Africa relations}}
[[File:Trilateral Iran-Russia-Turkey Summit September 2018 in Tehran 4.jpg|thumb|Putin with Iranian president [[Hassan Rouhani]] and Turkish president [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]], September 2018]]

On 16 October 2007, Putin visited Iran to participate in the Second Caspian Summit in [[Tehran]],<ref name="rbc-iran-tehran">[http://top.rbc.ru/politics/16/10/2007/122607.shtml Putin: Iran Has Right to Develop Peaceful Nuclear Programme] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406094726/http://top.rbc.ru/politics/16/10/2007/122607.shtml |date=6 April 2008}}, 16 October 2007, Rbc.ru</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title = Putin's warning to the U.S. |work = Reuters |date = 16 October 2007 |url = https://www.reuters.com/news/video/videoStory?videoId=68897 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071017065727/http://www.reuters.com/news/video/videoStory?videoId=68897 |url-status = dead |archive-date = 17 October 2007 }}</ref> where he met with Iranian president [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url = http://president.kremlin.ru/text/news/2007/10/148432.shtml |script-title = ru:Владимир Путин положительно оценил итоги Второго Каспийского саммита на встрече с Президентом Ирана Махмудом Ахмадинежадом |trans-title = Vladimir Putin assessed the results of the Second Caspian Summit positively on meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |language = ru |publisher = Kremlin.ru |date = 16 October 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080504052206/http://president.kremlin.ru/text/news/2007/10/148432.shtml |archive-date = 4 May 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url = http://president.kremlin.ru/events/chron/2007/10/148247.shtml |script-title = ru:Визит в Исламскую Республику Иран. Второй Каспийский саммит |trans-title = Visit to Iran. Second Caspian Summit |language = ru |publisher = Kremlin.ru |date = 16 October 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080504052159/http://president.kremlin.ru/events/chron/2007/10/148247.shtml |archive-date = 4 May 2008 }}</ref> This was the first visit of a Soviet or Russian leader<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title = Putin confirms Iran visit, brushes off 'plot' reports |url = http://www.lebanonwire.com/0710MLN/07101516AF.asp |agency = Lebanon Wire |date = 15 October 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151016052242/http://www.lebanonwire.com/0710MLN/07101516AF.asp |archive-date = 16 October 2015 }}</ref> to Iran since [[Joseph Stalin]]'s participation in the [[Tehran Conference]] in 1943, and marked a significant event in [[Iran–Russia relations]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080726124113/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2666142.ece Vladimir Putin defies assassination threats to make historic visit to Tehran], 16 October 2007, ''The Times''.</ref> At a press conference after the summit Putin said that "all our ([[Caspian Sea|Caspian]]) states have the right to develop their peaceful nuclear programmes without any restrictions".<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url = http://president.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2007/10/16/2020_type82914type82915_148460.shtml |title = Answer to a Question at the Joint Press Conference Following the Second Caspian Summit |publisher = Kremlin.ru |date = 16 October 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080504052153/http://president.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2007/10/16/2020_type82914type82915_148460.shtml |archive-date = 4 May 2008 }}</ref> Putin was quoted as describing Iran as a "partner",<ref name=Sturmer /> although he expressed concerns over the [[Iranian nuclear programme]].<ref name=Sturmer />

In April 2008, Putin became the first Russian president to visit Libya.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url = http://gulfnews.com/news/region/libya/putin-s-visit-historic-and-strategic-1.98399 |title = Putin's visit 'historic and strategic' |website = Gulf News |date = 18 April 2008 |access-date = 22 June 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130514014600/http://gulfnews.com/news/region/libya/putin-s-visit-historic-and-strategic-1.98399 |archive-date = 14 May 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Putin condemned the [[2011 military intervention in Libya|2011 foreign military intervention]] in Libya, referring to the [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973|UN resolution]] as "defective and flawed", and added, "It allows everything. It resembles medieval calls for crusades".<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/21/putin-libya-intervention-_n_838293.html |work = HuffPost |first = Cara |last = Parks |title = Putin: Military Intervention In Libya Resembles 'Crusades' |date = 21 March 2011 }}</ref> Upon [[Death of Muammar Gaddafi|the death]] of [[Muammar Gaddafi]], Putin called it as "planned murder" by the US, saying: "They showed to the whole world how he (Gaddafi) was killed", and "There was blood all over. Is that what they call a democracy?"<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first = James |last = Crugnale |url = http://www.mediaite.com/online/vladimir-putin-blames-us-drones-for-gaddafi-death-slams-john-mccain/ |title = Vladimir Putin Blames US Drones For Gaddafi Death, Slams John McCain |publisher = Mediaite.com |date = 15 December 2011 |access-date = 22 June 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120104145441/http://www.mediaite.com/online/vladimir-putin-blames-us-drones-for-gaddafi-death-slams-john-mccain/ |archive-date = 4 January 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last = Citizen |first = Ottawa |url = http://canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/world/story.html?id=883c4e8f-cd01-4705-b446-fe9c72d3a291 |title = Putin claims U.S. planned murder of Gadhafi |publisher = Canada.com |date = 16 December 2011 |access-date = 22 June 2013 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131020152422/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/world/story.html?id=883c4e8f-cd01-4705-b446-fe9c72d3a291 |archive-date = 20 October 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi (2019-10-24).jpg|thumb|left|Putin with African leaders at the [[Russia–Africa Summit 2019|Russia–Africa Summit]] in Sochi, Russia, on 24 October 2019]]
From 2000 to 2010, Russia sold around $1.5&nbsp;billion worth of arms to Syria, making [[Damascus]] Russia's seventh-largest client.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/opinion/why-russia-supports-assad.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss |work = The New York Times |first = Dmitri |last = Trenin |title = Why Russia Supports Assad |date = 9 February 2012 }}</ref> During the [[Syrian civil war]], Russia threatened to veto any sanctions against the Syrian government,<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|author = Fred Weir |url = http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2012/0119/Why-Russia-is-willing-to-sell-arms-to-Syria |title = Why Russia is willing to sell arms to Syria |website = The Christian Science Monitor |date = 19 January 2012 |access-date = 22 June 2013 }}</ref> and continued to supply arms to its regime.

Putin opposed any foreign intervention in the Syrian civil war. In June 2012, in Paris, he rejected the statement of French president [[François Hollande]] who called on [[Bashar al-Assad]] to step down. Putin echoed Assad's argument that anti-regime ''militants'' were responsible for much of the bloodshed. He also talked about previous NATO interventions and their results, and asked, "What is happening in Libya, in Iraq? Did they become safer? Where are they heading? Nobody has an answer".<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last = Viscusi |first = Gregory |url = http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-01/hollande-clashes-with-putin-over-ouster-of-syria-s-assad |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120718174702/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-01/hollande-clashes-with-putin-over-ouster-of-syria-s-assad |url-status = dead |archive-date = 18 July 2012 |title = Hollande Clashes With Putin Over Ouster of Syria's Assad |website = Bloomberg BusinessWeek |date = 1 June 2012 |access-date = 22 June 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:Putin-Sall meeting (2022-06-03) 03.jpg|thumb|Putin met with the president of the [[African Union]], [[Macky Sall]], to discuss grain deliveries from Russia and Ukraine to Africa on 3 June 2022. The war in Ukraine contributed to the [[2022–2023 food crises]].<ref>{{cite news|title=How Russia's War on Ukraine Is Worsening Global Starvation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/02/us/politics/russia-ukraine-food-crisis.html |work=The New York Times |date=2 January 2023|last=Wong|first=Edward|last2=Swanson|first2=Ana}}</ref>]]
On 11 September 2013, ''[[The New York Times]]'' published an [[op-ed]] by Putin urging caution against [[American-led intervention in Syria|US intervention in Syria]] and criticizing [[American exceptionalism]].<ref name="NYT-20130911">{{#invoke:cite|news|last = Putin |first = Vladimir V. |title = A Plea for Caution From Russia |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html |date = 11 September 2013 |work = [[The New York Times]] |access-date = 11 September 2013 }}</ref> Putin subsequently helped to arrange for the [[destruction of Syria's chemical weapons]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url = http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Putin-says-US-Russia-agree-on-how-to-destroy-Syrias-chemical-weapons-328134 |title = Putin says US, Russia agree on how to destroy Syria's chemical weapons |newspaper = [[The Jerusalem Post]] |date = 8 October 2013 }}</ref> In 2015, he took a stronger pro-Assad stance<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/melikkaylan/2015/09/30/putins-syria-gambit-could-be-his-waterloo/ |title = Putin's Syria Gambit Could Be His Waterloo |author = Melik Kaylan |website = Forbes }}</ref> and mobilized [[Russian intervention in Syria|military support for the regime]]. Some analysts have summarized Putin as being allied with [[Shiites]] and [[Alawites]] in the Middle East.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/melikkaylan/2014/11/12/is-putin-about-to-invade-ukraine/ |work = Forbes |first = Melik |last = Kaylan |title = Is Putin About To Invade Ukraine? }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Pedler |first1=John |title=A Word Before Leaving: A Former Diplomat's Weltanschauung |date=2015 |page=129}}</ref>

In 2017, Putin dispatched Russian [[private military company|PMCs]] to back the [[Touadéra]] regime in the [[Central African Republic Civil War]], gaining a permanent military presence in return.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last = Cohen |first = Roger |date = 24 December 2022 |title = Putin Wants Fealty, and He's Found It in Africa |work = The New York Times |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/24/world/africa/central-african-republic-russia-wagner.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230103183631/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/24/world/africa/central-african-republic-russia-wagner.html |archive-date = 3 January 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last = Bax |first = Pauline |date = 3 December 2021 |title = Russia's Influence in the Central African Republic |url = https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/central-african-republic/russias-influence-central-african-republic |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220302075435/https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/central-african-republic/russias-influence-central-african-republic |archive-date = 2 March 2022 }}
</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last = Posthumus |first = Bram |date = 20 May 2022 |title = Analysis: The curious case of Russia in Central African Republic |publisher = Al Jazeera |url = https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/5/20/the-curious-case-of-russias-romance-in-central-african-republic |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220601181619/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/5/20/the-curious-case-of-russias-romance-in-central-african-republic |archive-date = 1 June 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first1 = Sauer |last1=Burke |first2 = Pjotr | last2=Jason |date = 16 December 2022 |title = Ally of Wagner Group boss hurt in 'assassination attempt' in central Africa |work =[[The Guardian]] |url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/16/dmitry-sytii-ally-of-wagner-boss-injured-in-car-after-assassination-attempt |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221217001123/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/16/dmitry-sytii-ally-of-wagner-boss-injured-in-car-after-assassination-attempt |archive-date = 17 December 2022 }}</ref> The first [[Russia–Africa Summit 2019|Russia-Africa Summit]] was held in October 2019 in [[Sochi]], Russia, co-hosted by Putin and Egyptian president [[Abdel Fattah el-Sisi]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Gershkovich |first1=Evan |title=At Russia's Inaugural Africa Summit, Moscow Sells Sovereignty |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/10/26/russias-inaugural-africa-summit-moscow-sells-sovereignty-a67916 |work=[[The Moscow Times]] |date=26 October 2019}}</ref> The meeting was attended by 43 heads of state and government from African countries.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Putin: relations with Africa are a 'priority' for Moscow |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/03/20/putin-relations-with-africa-are-a-priority-for-moscow/ |work=Africa News |date=20 March 2023}}</ref>

In October 2019, Putin visited the United Arab Emirates, where six agreements were struck with [[Abu Dhabi]] Crown Prince [[Mohammed bin Zayed]]. One of them included shared investments between [[Russian National Wealth Fund|Russian sovereign wealth fund]] and the Emirati investment fund [[Mubadala Investment Company|Mubadala]]. The two nations signed deals worth over $1.3bn, in energy, health and advance technology sectors.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url = http://youngherald.com/2019/10/vladimir-putin-signs-deals-worth-1-3bn-during-uae-visit/ |title = Vladimir Putin signs deals worth $1.3bn during UAE visit |access-date = 17 October 2019 |website = Young Herald |archive-date = 26 February 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210226021123/http://youngherald.com/2019/10/vladimir-putin-signs-deals-worth-1-3bn-during-uae-visit/ |url-status = dead }}</ref> On 22 October 2021, Putin highlighted the "unique bond" between Russia and Israel during a meeting with Israeli prime minister [[Naftali Bennett]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title = Putin highlights unique bond formed between Russia, Israel |url = https://tass.com/politics/1352943 |access-date = 4 March 2022 |agency = TASS }}</ref>