Russia Reiterates Its Highly Valued Partnership With UAE.

Moscow/Abu Dhabi; April 2026: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev met with UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi and UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. The leaders discussed the two countries’ cooperation in trade, the economy, and ecology.

The meeting was also attended by Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development Ahmed Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Ahmed bin Sulayem, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates to the Russian Federation Mohamed Ahmad Sultan Essa Al Jaber.

The meeting addressed the initiative to establish a BRICS grain exchange. This proposal has been supported by the BRICS leaders, and its operational details are currently under development.

The leaders have also addressed a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation, including agriculture and environmental management. Particular focus was placed on the initiative to establish a BRICS grain exchange. This proposal has met support from all BRICS leaders, and its operational framework is currently under development “Russia highly values its partnership with the United Arab Emirates in environmental protection and sustainable natural resource management. Our approaches are aligned across virtually all international environmental platforms, including BRICS and the United Nations Environment Programme. We also cooperate within the framework of the three so-called Rio Conventions, which address a range of interconnected environmental challenges”, Dmitry Patrushev said.

The two countries continue to work together through the Russia–UAE joint working group on biodiversity conservation, waste management, and cooperation in hydrometeorology. The Deputy Prime Minister also identified geology and subsoil use as promising areas to further strengthen bilateral ties.

“Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the United Arab Emirates is of a strategic nature. This year marks the 55th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Despite the challenging international environment, our ties continue to develop dynamically, largely due to the trusting dialogue between our leaders. The United Arab Emirates remains one of Russia’s key economic partners in the Middle East. Last year, bilateral trade reached a historic high. I would also like to highlight the steady growth in agricultural cooperation: over the past three years, mutual trade in this sector has more than doubled”, Dmitry Patrushev said.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that Russian companies were interested in further expanding exports to the UAE market, not only in food products but also in mineral fertilisers. Meanwhile, creating a BRICS grain exchange is expected to strengthen global food security. It will enable member countries to develop independent pricing benchmarks within the association, facilitating a more objective valuation of agricultural commodities on the global market.

Oksana Lut, Russian Minister Of Agriculture has asserted that in 2025, grain harvest of 144.6 million metric tons is the third biggest harvest in the country’s history. The gross yield of grain legumes was a record 08 million metric tons. In addition, the organised farming entities provided a historical high harvest of oil crops, including soybeans and oil seed rape, as well as fruit and berries.

Generally, the sector’s performance made it possible to attain the main parameters of the Food Security Doctrine and consolidate our country’s self-sufficiency in all key areas. As far as this year (2026) is concerned, the sowing campaign is getting into high gear, with 55 regions joining the spring farm work.

Mitigating the weather challenges, about 4.6 million hectares are under crops on the national scale. Russia is optimistic that the weather will be back to normal soon, something that will enable to increase pace and complete the spring sowing within the optimal agrotechnological timeframes. In all, about 56 million hectares have been set aside for this year’s spring crops. Another 20 million hectares are under winter crops, of which 97% are still in good or satisfactory condition despite the adverse weather. Let me note that this is way above last year’s metrics. The minister has forecasted that this year’s total area under crops will grow and amount to 83 million hectares.

Team Maverick.