Stronger Together: EU and UAE Deepen Partnership on Gaza, Ukraine, and Global Peace

In a major diplomatic exercise, the President of the European Council, António Costa, made a visit to the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on October 28, 2025, the first time Costa has been to the country in his capacity as the head of the Council. The meeting highlighted the increased significance of the UAE as a reliable partner to the European Union in fostering prosperity, stability, and security not only in Europe and the Middle East but also in the rest of the world. Both of the leaders reiterated their desire to promote common interests by enhancing closer collaboration in trade, politics, and security.

Enhancing Bilateral relationships and Regional relations

In their meeting in Abu Dhabi, President Costa and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed talked about the possibilities to strengthen the relations between the EU and the UAE and discussed the areas of cooperation that the countries could use to develop their relations with each other: economic collaboration, energy transition, and sustainable development. The leaders emphasized the contribution of the UAE as a stable partner in the region to promote dialogue and stability. 

Costa referred to the UAE as a bridge between regions and admitted that the country has attempted to mediate humanitarian assistance and peace.It was also applied to the case in Gaza, where both parties were concerned about the humanitarian crisis in a serious way. They settled on the fact that the urgent need must be to ensure that the peace plan by Donald Trump is fully and promptly implemented to restore sanity and relief aid. Costa praised the current humanitarian efforts of the UAE and said that the EU was ready to help rebuild Gaza. These two leaders emphasized that diplomacy and humanitarian intervention should be used together to secure the long-term peace of the region.

The Vision of Ukraine and Global Stability

Another point of the discussions was the crisis in Ukraine. The UAE has actively participated in humanitarian aid and the exchange of prisoners, gaining the consent of the neutral and positive position. Both Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Costa reiterated that they had a common agenda to attain fair and sustainable peace using diplomatic solutions that do not violate international laws or sovereignty.

The two leaders also discussed the larger issues of global stability, with agreement on the fact that multilateral cooperation is still imperative to address the current global challenges, whether security threats or global warming. The discussion reaffirmed the strategic richness of the EU-UAE relationship, which is now being characterized by the common values, pragmatism in diplomacy, and commitment to peace and development.

Costa concluded his visit, but both sides once again emphasized that the reinforcement of their relationship becomes crucial not just to achieve the balance in the region but also to solve the problems of the world in a single effort. The rejuvenated EU-UAE partnership is set to open the way to greater involvement in the humanitarian, political, and economic spheres of activity within the next few years.