Moscow invited the leaders of all 22 Arab League states to its first Russian-Arab summit, set for October 15, 2025. Five days before, the Kremlin announced a postponement. According to Bloomberg, only Syria's president and the Arab League's secretary-general had agreed to come. Why did Russia lose the Arab world?
In June 2025, Iran fired a missile at a US base in Qatar, and the Gulf monarchies found themselves one step from a regional war. They condemned Israel's strikes, and Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman barred the US from using their bases against Iran. Now they are planning a joint missile defense system worth over $85 billion.
Russia and Algeria have been close partners since 1962, yet their trade in 2020 came to only about $3 billion. Russia sends wheat, steel and chemicals, while Algeria sends citrus fruit, dates and olive oil. Sanctions push Russia toward new markets, and Algeria wants to depend less on Europe.
In March 2023, a Hamas delegation visited Moscow, and months later Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Russia and Iran arm Hamas and other militants, while Iranian drones fly for Russia in Ukraine. Every flare-up in Gaza lifts oil prices, filling the war chests of Moscow and Tehran.