Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
President of the UAE
Background
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also known as MBZ, serves as the third president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi. In that role, he is the central figure in the UAE’s federal leadership and in the administration of Abu Dhabi, the federation’s largest and most influential emirate. He also matters in Russian affairs because the UAE under his leadership has maintained high-level contact with Moscow, including direct communications between him and Vladimir Putin, and has been noted for assistance to Russian citizens living in the Emirates. His position gives him influence over diplomatic, economic, and security relations between the UAE and external powers, including Russia.
Born on 11 March 1961, he completed his education in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1979. He joined the UAE Armed Forces and held a range of posts before becoming a pilot in the UAE Air Force, and he was promoted to general in 2005. He is the third son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE and former ruler of Abu Dhabi. After the death of his father, he became crown prince of Abu Dhabi in 2004, while his brother Sheikh Khalifa became president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi; following Sheikh Khalifa’s stroke in 2014, Mohamed became the de facto president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, and he formally assumed both posts in May 2022 after being chosen by the UAE Supreme Council.
His leadership has been associated with a more centralized and security-oriented foreign policy, and scholars have described the UAE under his rule as an authoritarian capitalist state and a rentier state. He has opposed the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran, and the UAE participated in conflicts and regional disputes including the fight against ISIS, the Syrian civil war, the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, and the Qatar diplomatic crisis. He also became a key regional partner for the United States under Donald Trump and oversaw the UAE’s entry into the Abraham Accords in 2020, normalizing relations with Israel. In broader Gulf politics, his government has been involved in economic rivalry with Saudi Arabia and has supported different actors in regional conflicts, while the UAE’s relations with Russia have continued through diplomacy and practical cooperation.
Timeline
Putin thanked Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the UAE’s assistance in supporting Russian citizens in the Middle East.
Telephone Conversation with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al NahyanHe discussed the deteriorating Middle East situation with Vladimir Putin.
Telephone Conversation with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Documents
Telephone Conversation with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Putin called UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed to mark his 65th birthday, discussed the deteriorating Middle East situation, and thanked the UAE for supporting Russian citizens there.