UAE not 'taking sides' after Security Council abstention

The United Arab Emirates wants to encourage a political solution in the Ukraine conflict and taking sides would only encourage violence, a senior UAE official said on Sunday.

The comment, posted by Anwar Gargash on Twitter, comes after the UAE abstained to vote on Friday on a draft United Nations Security Council resolution deploring Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. It did not pass because of Russia's veto.

The UAE "believes that taking sides would only lead to more violence," said Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to UAE President Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

"The UAE has a firm position regarding the United Nations, international law and the sovereignty of states, rejecting military solutions," he said.

"In the Ukrainian crisis, our priority is to encourage all parties to resort to diplomatic action and to negotiate to find a political solution."

The National, a UAE-based publication owned by a member of its royal family, has reportedly told staff not to refer to Russia's attack on Ukraine as an "invasion".

The UAE, in particular Dubai, has been long seen as a magnet for Russian investment, and a vacation destination for the Russian elite.