Putin is holding talks with UAE president

Russian President Vladimir Putin has started talks with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in St. Petersburg where the Russian leader had been staying for the past few days, the Rossiya-24 television channel reported, Qazet.az reports.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the one-on-one format was chosen for the conversation.

The Kremlin hasn’t announced the issues to be discussed at the talks. According to the UAE government newspaper Al-Bayan, the agenda includes issues of friendly relations between the UAE and Russia, and some regional and international issues that are of mutual interest. The UAE Foreign Ministry said the president’s visit aims to achieve "effective political solutions" for the crisis in Ukraine.