Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Rashad Muhammad al-Alimi, Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, during the latter’s official visit to Russia. The two leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of issues related to bilateral relations and regional security.
According to the Kremlin press service, the talks will focus on strengthening Russian-Yemeni cooperation across political, economic, and humanitarian spheres. The agenda will also include pressing regional matters, particularly the situation in the Middle East.
Yemen’s state-run SABA news agency reported that al-Alimi plans to raise the issue of security in the region, with a special emphasis on efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
Russia–Yemen Relations
The Kremlin notes that President Putin has previously hosted Yemeni presidents in Moscow on three occasions—in 2002, 2004, and 2013. However, following the 2022 transfer of presidential powers in Yemen to the newly formed Presidential Leadership Council during the country’s political transition, no council chairman has visited Russia until now.
The last known official contact between Putin and al-Alimi occurred on March 19, 2024, when the Yemeni leader sent a congratulatory telegram to the Russian president following his re-election.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Yemen.
Geopolitical Context
Yemen has been mired in conflict since August 2014, with ongoing hostilities between the government and the Houthi movement. The prolonged fighting has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with acute shortages of food, medicine, and basic supplies.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has described the humanitarian situation in Yemen as “critical and approaching irreversible disaster.” According to UN estimates published in December 2020, the conflict has claimed at least 233,000 lives since its escalation in March 2015.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Based on materials from TASS