Why the UAE aligned with Russia in the Security Council
An American website revealed the scenes behind the UAE’s alignment with Russia in the U.N. Security Council by abstaining from voting on a resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukrainian territory a week ago.
Axios Website said the UAE’s decision to abstain from voting on a US-led resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the Security Council came primarily out of frustration with Washington’s response to the attack on Abu Dhabi six weeks ago.
The website, citing three Emirati, American and Israeli sources, stated that tensions still exist between the United States and the UAE, which cooperate closely on security, intelligence and trade issues.
Three people were killed and six wounded in an unprecedented missile and drone attack on Abu Dhabi launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen on January 17.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden quickly condemned the attack as a “terrorist act”, dispatched a squadron of F-22 and USS Cole fighters to Abu Dhabi, and helped to intercept at least one of the subsequent attacks.
But the United States has not accepted the UAE’s request to reclassify the Houthis as “terrorists”, and aid groups say such a move will make it more difficult for them to operate in Yemen.
While the Biden administration saw its response as swift and forceful, the Emiratis had higher expectations and felt neglected, the three sources say.
When the commander of U.S. Central Command General Frank McKenzie visited Abu Dhabi on February 7, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed refused to meet him. According to an informed U.S. source, the disdain was intended as a sign of disappointment at the fact that McKenzie’s visit had lasted 22 days since the attack.
A senior Biden administration official said McKenzie could not visit because he was overseeing and advising the president on the operation that killed ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi. The official says U.S. officials were in contact with their Emirati counterparts several times a day after the attack.
Mohammed bin Zayed agreed to meet with White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk a week later in Abu Dhabi. Still, he used the meeting to express his frustration in the United States, and the senior U.S. official said the meeting was nonetheless “constructive” regarding future cooperation in Yemen.
But when Russia invaded Ukraine, the Emiratis felt that the U.S. response — including pressing for sanctions and U.N. Security Council resolutions — was much more robust and faster than when they were attacked.
The United States lobbied hard on U.N. Security Council members over the resolution condemning Russia, but the Emiratis abstained when it was put to the vote on Friday.
This was intended to signal frustration with the United States, and the American side was deeply disappointed, the three sources say.
According to the site, frustrations are still alive on both sides.
The Emiratis want more access to U.S. intelligence and targeting capabilities to prevent further attacks in Yemen.
American officials say they acted quickly even as their resources were depleted, and the Emiratis want capabilities that do not exist, such as accurate targeting of intelligence in Yemen.
Another senior Biden administration official said it was not clear whether the UAE’s vote in the Security Council was entirely related to their complaint about U.S. policy toward the Houthis.
The official stressed that the issue of reclassifying the Houthis is still under discussion anyway, and the official said, “There will be more steps to address the issue of the Houthi threat, not only symbolically.”
