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Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim brought an olive branch from Syria to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday at a meeting in Moscow, where he also bemoaned Israel's failure to observe a ceasefire in Gaza.
Sheikh Tamim, who met Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara earlier this week, told Mr Putin that the new leader in Damascus was "keen on building a relationship" with Russia. Mr Al Shara came to power after a swift rebel offensive ousted former president Bashar Al Assad, a close ally of Russia.
At Thursday's meeting, Sheikh Tamim also said Qatar was seeking to bridge gaps to secure an agreement in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. “As you know, we reached an agreement months ago, but unfortunately Israel did not abide by this agreement,” said the Qatari ruler, whose country was a key mediator of the deal.
Mr Putin acknowledged what he called Qatar's “serious efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict” and called the deaths in the conflict “a tragedy”. He said a long-term peace settlement must be “connected to the establishment of two states”.
He said Syria faced "many problems" on a political and economic level but that Russia was willing to discuss providing humanitarian assistance. "We would like to do everything to ensure that Syria, firstly, remains a sovereign, independent and territorially integral state," Mr Putin said.
Russia has two military bases in Syria that it wants to maintain under the new leadership in Damascus. During the 13-year civil war it intervened with a bombing campaign to push back rebels and ISIS militants on Mr Al Assad's behalf.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was in dialogue with all regional players in the Middle East about its ties with Syria. He said the region was "replete with conflict potential" and said Qatar had "a very big and important role in attempts to resolve many situations”.
Israel and Hamas began a ceasefire in January, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US, which aimed to release hostages and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But last month Israel resumed attacks on the enclave, seizing large areas of territory to create what it calls "security zones". The UN has warned that food stockpiled during the ceasefire will last only a few more days.
Sheikh Tamim said Qatar would "strive to bridge perspectives in order to reach an agreement that ends the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza".
The talks in Moscow also addressed Russia's economic ties with Qatar. Sovereign wealth funds from the two countries plan to form a new investment partnership worth $2 billion, pro-Kremlin media reported. Mr Putin last met Sheikh Tamim in Astana last July on the sidelines of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit.
Ukraine war
Qatar has also made a series of attempts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, and has helped to arrange the return of children from both countries who were separated from their parents during the war. Qatari Minister of State Mohammed Al Khulaifi told Russia's state news agency Tass that the discussions between the leaders would touch on Ukraine and also on energy such as liquefied natural gas.
“The Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to a global supply-chain crisis due to rising prices for energy and basic commodities,” Mr Al Khulaifi said. “Our ongoing dialogue in this area helps stabilise energy markets, which in turn supports the resilience of the global economy and helps overcome the supply chain crisis.”
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's wealth fund, told reporters during the meeting with Sheikh Tamim that Mr Putin's recent meeting with Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff was "extremely productive". He said a "very useful dialogue" was taking place as the US pushes for an end to more than three years of fighting in Ukraine.
Mr Witkoff is also representing the US in indirect talks with Iran on a possible deal to prevent Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon in exchange for sanctions relief. Russia was part of a 2015 arrangement that aimed to do that, but Mr Trump abandoned the pact during his first term as president.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi separately visited Moscow to pass a letter to Mr Putin from Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei about the negotiations. Qatar's Mr Al Khulaifi noted that his country played an important role as a mediator between the US and Iran, as well as with Russia, in an attempt to find a peaceful solution to the Iran crisis. The Kremlin said it appreciated the “confidential dialogue on many topics, including the most sensitive ones” with Qatar.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
