Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week visited the Gulf region, where he met with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council states in Riyadh. After the meeting, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stressed: “We stated our unified stance regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and its negative consequences, namely the food security of the affected countries and the world.”

Lavrov clarified that the members of the GCC will not participate in sanctions against Russia. Moreover, prior to the meeting, Lavrov spoke with Prince Faisal, when the Russian diplomat praised the level of cooperation in OPEC+, as it is known that Saudi Arabia and other member states rejected American pressure to increase crude output after the start of the Russian operation in Ukraine.

The photos of Lavrov at this 152nd session of the GCC Ministerial Council somewhat resembled parallel historical events, specifically the Iraq crisis of 1990-91, which became a turning point in relations between Moscow and the Gulf states. The Soviet Union, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, played an important role in the adoption of resolutions demanding that Iraq immediately withdraw its troops from Kuwait and recognize its independence and sovereignty. This principled position was appreciated not only by Kuwait, but also by its partners in the GCC. Saudi Arabia then restored diplomatic contacts, which had been largely frozen, and the event facilitated the Soviet Union’s establishment of relations with another GCC member, Bahrain.

In the years since these events, the GCC states have made remarkable progress and have achieved geopolitical importance, which can be seen in the significance of their neutral positions on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the former chief of Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence Directorate and a former ambassador to the UK and US, stated in an interview with Arab News’ “Frankly Speaking” program in May: “The Kingdom has publicly declared and voted to condemn the aggression against Ukraine that was passed by the UN General Assembly.” He added that Saudi Arabia had offered to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.

The UAE’s position on the Ukraine crisis has also attracted international attention, as expressed by Emirates Policy Center president and founder Dr. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi in her paper “Prospects of UAE-US relations in a New Strategic Environment.” In it, she identified Abu Dhabi’s stance as emphasizing the safeguarding of its national interests and pursuing an independent policy, while reiterating its commitment to the OPEC+ agreement with Russia and other countries.

The neutral stance of the GCC actors has had a crucial geopolitical, diplomatic and economic impact.

Dr. Diana Galeeva

The UAE has also tried to avoid polarization among the great powers, calling for the de-escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine, supporting diplomatic resolutions to the crisis and encouraging mediation to end the war. Finally, the UAE has continued its contacts with all parties to the crisis and provided humanitarian aid.

In the 20th century, the USSR’s principled position on Iraq helped in developing its relations with the Gulf states, which — as former British protectorates that were under the US security umbrella — were within the Western bloc. In contrast, this 21st-century case shows how history has been reversed: The neutral stance of the GCC actors on the Ukraine conflict has had a crucial geopolitical, diplomatic and economic impact on the crisis, marking them out as equally crucial actors to be considered by the great powers.

Moreover, as equal partners, it seems that the policies of the GCC states will continue to be based on their national interests and this might also be beneficial. It has been reported that, immediately after meeting with Lavrov, Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ members agreed to oil production increases to offset the price rises resulting from the boycott of Russia’s supplies. This is likely to clear the path for US President Joe Biden to visit Riyadh next month.

France has already begun discussions with the UAE to replace Russian oil after the EU last week approved the adoption of a sixth package of sanctions against Moscow. And Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani recently undertook a European tour with the aim of opening up “new horizons for cooperation” — traveling to Germany, the UK, Spain, Poland, Slovenia and Switzerland to discuss energy security. Qatar and Germany have already agreed a gas deal to help the latter end its energy dependency on Russia.

And Greece and the UAE last month set up a $4.2 billion investment initiative, with new Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussing investments in sectors including renewables and new forms of energy.

These cases show the crucial significance and power of the GCC states in the energy sector and suggest that visits by leading officials from the great powers — especially those directly or indirectly involved in the crisis in Europe — will become even more frequent. This has already been demonstrated by US Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential delegation in the UAE last month, the largest since Biden took office, during which she offered her condolences on the death of ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Arguably, the Russia-Ukraine crisis has ensured not only a reversal of past Russia-Gulf relations, but also in ties generally between the great powers and the GCC states, making the latter much more necessary for the world’s security needs. Paradoxically, most of the GCC states are small in nature, but big in their capacities — which is exactly what the world’s leading powers need.

• Dr. Diana Galeeva is an academic visitor to St. Antony’s College, Oxford University. Dr. Galeeva is the author of two books: “Qatar: The Practice of Rented Power” (Routledge, 2022) and “Russia and the GCC: The Case of Tatarstan’s Paradiplomacy” (I.B. Tauris/Bloomsbury, 2023). She is also a co-editor of the collection “Post-Brexit Europe and UK: Policy Challenges Towards Iran and the GCC States” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). Twitter: @diana_galeeva