COOPERATION between Russia and the UAE in the international arena is important for global issues, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

“Our interaction is very important not only for regional affairs, but also for global issues. We actively interact in international organizations ... as well as at such large international universal platforms as the United Nations,” Putin said during negotiations with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Russian president also said that he and his counterpart from the UAE managed to discuss all the “sensitive issues” in the two states’ cooperation during their informal meeting on Sunday.

The UAE will continue to assist Russia and Ukraine in exchanging prisoners and is ready to make additional efforts to resolve the crisis situations, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Monday.

The UAE is ready to make efforts to further increase trade with Russia, which has exceeded $11 billion in 2023, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said.

The leader added that in 2018, the trade between the countries, with the exception of the oil sector, amounted to $2.5 billion, and in 2023 this figure exceeded $11 billion.

“For our part, we are ready to make every effort to achieve even higher indicators,” the president said.

The UAE president arrived in Moscow the day before. On Sunday evening, two leaders had an informal meeting at the Russian president’s residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region. Putin and Al Nahyan discussed the development of bilateral trade relations, and Russian president pointed out the growth of tourist exchange between the two states. The leaders also talked about regional problems, namely the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. — SPUTNIK