Is Mohamed bin Zayed Preparing for a State Visit to Washington?

The Wall Street Journal reported that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed is preparing for a state visit to Washington, as the United States and the UAE are formalizing an agreement on defense and trade following a joint commitment of $100 billion for clean energy projects, a key objective for the Biden administration. The strategy of "friends with everyone" has tested relations with Washington, the biggest ally of the oil-rich nation, as Sheikh Mohammed takes on a leadership role in a new Middle East closer to Russia and China. Senior Emirati officials stated, "Sheikh Mohamed does not see the UAE's close relationship with the United States as a barrier to relations with Moscow or Beijing." Instead, they suggest that such relationships could benefit Washington. Additionally, the diplomatic advisor to the UAE President, Anwar Gargash, stated, "We will not be defined by the competition among great powers." According to the Wall Street Journal, "Sheikh Mohamed met face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin in October in St. Petersburg, where they discussed U.S. interest in a prisoner exchange involving basketball player Brittney Griner and offered assistance for the exchange. Eight weeks later, she was released at an Emirati airbase in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout."