The United Arab Emirates “deplore[s] the ongoing violence in Ukraine” and has called for a ceasefire in a statement from the country’s mission to the UN published on Monday.
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In the statement, the nation also highlighted the need to recognize the sovereignty of states, after conflict erupted on Thursday when Russia’s forces invaded its neighbor.
The Gulf nation, without denouncing one side or the other, has publicly called for an end to the violence since the invasion.
This is despite the fact that the UAE abstained from voting on a draft UN Security Council resolution to end the conflict on Friday.
UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed the “strength” of ties with Russia in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday, the day before the invasion.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed then spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday to discuss “the importance of building a strong international response to support Ukrainian sovereignty through the UN Security Council.”
The UAE is also “looking into the Ukraine’s humanitarian needs resulting from the crisis,” according to Monday’s statement.
“The continuation of the fighting will lead to further losses among civilians, in addition to worsening the humanitarian situation, which is exacerbated by the extreme temperatures this winter,” the statement said.
Al Arabiya English’s Tuqa Khalid contributed to this report
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