The return of brotherly relations

Good afternoon, nice people. It’s the last day of the quarter, and we’re ending it on a “brotherly” note, as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are talking again.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed met Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh yesterday, the first public visit to Saudi Arabia by a senior Emirati official since January. The two discussed bilateral relations and regional developments, the Saudi Press Agency reports. Sheikh Mansour also met separately with Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, who cited areas of “mutual interest” and closer cooperation between the two countries.

The renewed Houthi offensive is what moved this along — Riyadh is after allied support for air defense and help handling the maritime threat, the Financial Times says. Saudi commentator Ali Shihabi called Prince Khalid’s invitation “a big gesture” toward greater coordination on Yemen, while adding that the UAE is unlikely to return to the war. What Riyadh wants is for Abu Dhabi to keep southern factions from weakening the anti-Houthi front. The visit also follows Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in the UAE on Sunday, where the reported subject was Iran.

REMEMBER- This is the deepest rift the two have had in years. Disputes over Yemen escalated from December 2025, the UAE left OPEC to prioritize capacity over quotas, and some bank transfers between the two countries ran into delays and extra scrutiny over the summer. The cost has been a GCC unable to agree on a single response to the war. –Salma