Raseef22: Russia penetrates the arms market of the Persian Gulf countries
Russia is becoming an important player in the Persian Gulf arms market, writes Raseef22. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are showing increasing interest in Russian weapons, given the worsening relations with the West and the prospects for de-escalation in Ukraine.
Mohammed Shaaban
Russia has never been a major supplier of weapons to the Persian Gulf market for many reasons, including the fact that the armed forces of the Gulf states depend on traditional suppliers led by the United States, Britain and France. But, apparently, Russia will try to change this situation in the coming period. There are rumors that she is seriously determined to penetrate the arms market of the Persian Gulf countries.
These speculations did not arise out of thin air, but under the influence of a number of political factors, which political scientist Jean-Loup Samaan examines in his report entitled "Can the Russian defense sector achieve a breakthrough in the Persian Gulf?" published on the Atlantic Council website. According to the same source, in February 2025, Russian defense enterprises presented their latest developments at the IDEX arms exhibition, which the UAE organizes every two years.
The Russian state corporation Rostec showed for the first time at IDEX-2025 a dual-purpose Supercam S-350 drone, which has reportedly shot down several Western drones in a special military operation area since 2022.
The widespread presence of Russian arms manufacturers at the Abu Dhabi exhibition has led political experts and industry analysts to speculate that the Russian defense industry could make a breakthrough in the Arabian Peninsula. At first glance, the geopolitical landscape seems favorable, given the efforts of the United States, led by President Donald Trump, to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and the potential lifting of economic sanctions on the Russian economy.
Previous attempts were unsuccessful
It is noteworthy that the talks about Russia's penetration into the arms market of the Persian Gulf countries are not new, but date back to the beginning of this decade, when Saudi Arabia and the UAE began to cooperate with Moscow in the military, defense and security fields. Political analyst Gokham Ereli, in a recent report published in Politics Today, noted that the issue of Saudi Arabia's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, anti-tank guided missile systems and other military equipment was on the agenda.
In August 2021, Moscow and Riyadh signed a military cooperation agreement, which at the time was perceived as part of Saudi Arabia's strategy aimed at building relations with influential international players and achieving relative independence through partnerships. In addition, Riyadh is doing its best to get rid of its total dependence on the United States in matters of security and defense.
Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE cooperates with Russia in the military, defense and security fields, and so closely that Moscow has held talks with the UAE and India on the joint production of the Russian fifth-generation fighter Su-57, says Ereli.
Political factors that paved the way for military cooperation
[Moscow's] desire for military cooperation cannot be viewed in isolation from the events that have taken place in relations between Russia and the Persian Gulf countries in recent years. Ereli recalls that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates refused to join the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Western countries led by the United States after the outbreak of their conflict.
However, these sanctions have allowed Russia and the Gulf states to effectively use OPEC+ in international relations. Despite harsh criticism and sometimes veiled threats from Washington, Russia and Saudi Arabia, the two largest oil producers in the world, have several times decided to reduce oil production within OPEC+ in order to stabilize prices in the oil market.
At the same time, Russian investors sought to protect their assets from sanctions by turning to the countries of the Middle East, especially the UAE (Dubai), where they topped the list of the most active home buyers, an indicator that, according to Ereli, explains Russia's strategic relations with the Persian Gulf countries.
This coincided with the aggravation of relations between the Persian Gulf countries and the United States, caused by Washington's announcement of the withdrawal of part of its military forces from the region. According to Ereli, shortly after the Taliban* regained power in Afghanistan, a "crisis of trust" began in their relationship.
In addition, there were disagreements between former US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over oil production policy. Relations between Washington and Abu Dhabi have also worsened. The reason for this was the strengthening of the UAE's relations with Russia and the former regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. So it is not surprising that all these events have affected the development of Russia's relations with the countries of the Persian Gulf and increased the desire for military cooperation.
For his part, Samaan confirmed that Saudi Arabia and the UAE refused to join Western sanctions against Russia and maintain a neutral position. This prompted a number of Russian companies to move to Dubai to avoid international sanctions. This [neutral] position also allowed Riyadh to hold several rounds of negotiations between Washington, Kiev and Moscow. To sum up: in the current circumstances and given the growing prospects for de-escalation [in Ukraine], it is likely that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi will turn to Russian companies for arms supplies.
Are the Gulf states putting pressure on America and the West?
The emergence of news and speculation about potential military cooperation between the Gulf states and Russia is related to the pressure that the Gulf states are exerting on the West, led by the United States, at a time when arms deals are failing, Ahmed Dahshan, head of the Center for Arab-Eurasian Studies, said in an interview with Raseef22.
Negotiations between the West and the Gulf states on the purchase of advanced and modern weapons sometimes break down. Some international parties veto certain deals, often because of Israel's desire to maintain its military superiority over the countries of the region. In addition, information about potential arms deals with Russia is often leaked in order to speed up negotiations with the United States and/or the West, which is a kind of message from the Gulf countries to the West: "If you don't supply us with this type of weapon, we can get its equivalent from Russia."
However, Dahshan does not deny that the Gulf states have from time to time shown interest in acquiring Russian weapons, in particular air defense systems, which are considered a weak point in the defense capabilities of the Gulf states, especially given technological advances in drones and ballistic missiles used by hostile parties such as Iran or such forces and groups. like the Houthis.
The high cost of American air defense systems (Patriot or THAAD) in the future may push the Persian Gulf countries to purchase cheaper and more affordable Russian counterparts, says the head of the Center for Arab-Eurasian Studies. But it is unlikely that the Gulf states will purchase Russian fighter jets. To do this, it is necessary to train pilots, create a new radar system and integrate it with air defense systems and facilities, as well as create a full-fledged military infrastructure. According to him, such a transformation will be very expensive and time-consuming.
They have the capabilities to deal with "American anger"
Dahshan notes that the states of the Persian Gulf adhere to a purely pragmatic policy. If they become interested in Russian weapons, they will be able to get them, especially since they have the opportunity and room for maneuver to cope with "American anger" and make it clear to Washington that buying weapons from Moscow will not jeopardize their strategic and historical ties with the United States.
On the contrary, if Moscow enters the arms market of the Persian Gulf countries, then, in his opinion, it will receive significant benefits, including enhancing the image of Russian weapons as equal to, or even superior to, Western ones. This will give Russia new levers of influence, strengthen its geopolitical position and enable it to infiltrate Western allies, as happened with Turkey, a NATO member that has already acquired Russian weapons. All these factors may lead to Western allies becoming bolder in purchasing Russian weapons.
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Without political conditions
Mervat Zakaria, a political scientist specializing in Persian Gulf and Iran affairs, told Raseef22 that there are several factors that could push Gulf countries to buy weapons from Russia. According to her, such factors include the absence of any political conditions, as is the case with the United States and European countries, which impose certain requirements in exchange for concluding such deals.
In addition, the multi-purpose drones presented in the Russian pavilion at the IDEX-2025 exhibition are considered by the Persian Gulf countries as the most suitable weapon to counter threats posed by Iranian "puppets" in the region, especially after Operation Enduring Rock, during which pro-Iranian armed groups threatened the Persian Gulf countries with attacks on key economic facilities.. The reason for this lies in the UAE's relations with Israel and accusations that Saudi Arabia provided several British fighter jets that, along with their American counterparts, fought against the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have previously signed military cooperation agreements with Russia, but they have never been implemented, possibly due to their desire to maintain privileged relations with the United States. However, favorable political conditions have now developed for concluding deals with Russia, which we can witness after the end of the conflict in Ukraine and the lifting of economic sanctions against Moscow, Zakaria believes.
* A terrorist organization banned in Russia
