Kadyrov indicated his involvement in the Middle East settlement

Ramzan Kadyrov commented on the military actions in Iran for the first time, noting that he insisted on the participation of UAE representatives in a large diplomatic meeting.

Ramzan Kadyrov published his first comment on the situation in the Middle East since the escalation began on his Telegram channel on the evening of March 11. He accused the United States and Israel of attempting to "drive a wedge into the entire Islamic world" with a "treacherous attack on Iran during the holy month of Ramadan."

Kadyrov called Iran's strike on American bases "an expected rebuff to the enemy," while condemning strikes on the UAE and civilian infrastructure in third countries.

"Strikes on civilian infrastructure in third countries and the loss of civilian lives cannot be justified in any way. Such mistakes are unacceptable, but they happened. Citizens of the Middle East, including the Kingdom of Bahrain and the UAE, suffered," Kadyrov wrote.

He expressed support for UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whom he called his "dear elder brother," and recalled that the Emirati leadership "has never had military claims against its neighbors."

According to Kadyrov, the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and several other countries, with the exception of the UAE, approached him "at the beginning of the year" with a proposal for a major meeting. Kadyrov noted that he "fundamentally insisted on expanding the format and the mandatory participation of UAE representatives," which is why the meeting was postponed. The Chechen leader did not specify when exactly the proposal was received or what the proposed agenda was.

The "Caucasian Knot" reported that Kadyrov participated in talks between Vladimir Putin and United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the Kremlin on January 29, 2026. In the Kremlin, the Chechen leader commented on the negotiations with the Ukrainian side and expressed a desire to bring the special military operation "to a close." "Negotiations after everything that has been done... I am against negotiations," Kadyrov stated.

According to analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot," Kadyrov acts as an informal intermediary in relations with Islamic states, but has little leeway in building personal relationships with Middle Eastern leaders. In April 2025, he, along with other Russian officials, was present in the Kremlin for talks between Vladimir Putin and Emir of Qatar Tamim al-Thani. According to Kadyrov, the situation in Syria and the Gaza Strip, as well as energy cooperation, were discussed at the meeting. However, he did not disclose his role in this event.

State Duma deputy from Chechnya, Shamsail Saraliev, regularly reports on prisoner and body exchanges with Ukraine, often with the UAE providing humanitarian mediation. The most recent such exchange took place on March 5th and 6th: in two days, 500 Russian fighters returned to Russia, and 500 Ukrainian servicemen returned to Ukraine. When discussing prisoner exchanges, the Russian side primarily demands the return of "Kadyrovites from Akhmat," the Ukrainian project "I Want to Live" noted on its Telegram channel following the February exchange.

Caucasian Knot has compiled materials on the impact of the fighting in Iran on the Caucasus on the thematic page "Iran: War is Near."