Putin thanks UAE leader for Ukraine help, hails growing economic ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attend a meeting at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 16, 2023. Sputnik/Ilya Pitalev/Host photo agency via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday thanked the president of the United Arab Emirates for his efforts in freeing prisoners of war in Ukraine and hailed what he said were expanding economic ties between Moscow and Abu Dhabi.

Putin made the comments during talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on the sidelines of Russia's annual economic forum in St Petersburg, where UAE companies are prominent unlike many Western counterparts who have stayed away because of the Ukraine conflict.