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Russia is seeking to pre-empt the US in the Arab world by developing policies that capitalise on President Joe Biden s new administration still trying to find its footing and an eagerness among Washington s Arab allies to maintain a balance in their relationships with the West, Moscow and Beijing.
So far, Mr Biden has hinted at his desire for a reset with Gulf states, Egypt and others in the context of reconfiguring US-Iranian relations. Moscow sees the current moment, in which US policy remains unclear, as an opportunity to mobilise support for an eastern pivot in the Middle East. Impatience in the region for the Biden administration’s apparent disregard for US-Gulf relations is growing, especially given that it seems to be given less attention than relations with Iran. To be clear, US relations with the Gulf are far from ruptured, but confidence is being shaken. Russia s veteran foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, must have sensed that when he undertook a visit last week to
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