Russian Deputy Prime Minister and UAE Vice-President hold talks on BRICS Grain Exchange

Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Patrushev, during a working visit to the United Arab Emirates, met with Vice-President and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This was reported on the official website of the Russian Government.

"Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the United Arab Emirates is of a strategic nature. […] The United Arab Emirates remains one of Russia’s key economic partners in the Middle East. Last year, bilateral trade reached a historic high. I would also like to highlight the steady growth in agricultural cooperation: over the past three years, mutual trade in this sector has more than doubled"

Dmitry Patrushev Deputy Prime Minister of Russia

The meeting discussed the creation of the BRICS Grain Exchange. The initiative has been supported by the leaders of all member states, and its operational details are currently being developed. According to the Russian side, the establishment of the exchange will strengthen global food security, while participating countries will be able to form independent price indicators.

The parties also discussed cooperation in agriculture, natural resource management and environmental protection. Patrushev noted that Russian companies are interested in increasing exports to the UAE not only of food products but also of mineral fertilisers.

“Our approaches are aligned across virtually all international environmental platforms, including BRICS and the United Nations Environment Programme. We also cooperate within the framework of the three so-called Rio Conventions, which address a range of interconnected environmental challenges,” Patrushev said.

The two countries cooperate through the Russia–UAE working group on biodiversity conservation, waste management and hydrometeorology. Patrushev identified geology and subsoil use as a promising area of cooperation.

In 2026, the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and the UAE is being marked.