It all began in April 2025, when the Kremlin announced its intention to hold a top-level summit, where leaders of 22 Arab countries were expected to be guests of Vladimir Putin. The Russians even launched an official summit website on October 3rd.The summit itself was scheduled for October 15th. You can imagine the pomp with which Moscow promoted it. However, as of October 9th, only Ahmed ash-Sharaa, the interim president of Syria, and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Sudani (who also heads the Arab League) had given a positive response. Key players—the leaders of the UAE (Mohammed bin Zayed), Saudi Arabia (Mohammed bin Salman), and Egypt (Abdel Fattah el-Sisi)—did not confirm their visit.The Kremlin's official version is that since the summit's timing coincided with the start of the active phase of implementing the Trump Plan for normalization in the Gaza Strip, it complicated attendance. Putin even hastened to say in Dushanbe that canceling the summit was his initiative so as not to interfere with the process.However, observers more familiar with the details of the preparations for this forum are forced to admit that the summit was simply ignored. Bloomberg, for example, writes: "The cancellation was due to low turnout—almost no one wanted to come." A source involved in the summit's preparation recounts that the summit was seen as an "important initiative" to counter "Trump's hegemony" in the region, but Arab leaders (especially the Persian Gulf monarchies) are ignoring it due to Russia's isolation (the war in Ukraine, sanctions)."Clearly, the Trump Plan is indeed a key factor in the summit's cancellation. Arab leaders (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt) are closely coordinating their actions with the US, and to avoid conflict with Trump, they decided not to get closer to Moscow at this stage. The signing of the agreement in Egypt is also a clear signal: the region is choosing "American peace." Putin, of course, praises the plan, but this contrasts with his self-imagined role as a "mediator.""Secondly, the summit was intended to compensate for the loss of influence in the Middle East (since 2022, Arab countries have distanced themselves from Moscow due to Russian aggression against Ukraine). This reflects a broader trend: even in so-called "friendly" regions (such as Central Asia, where Putin was on October 9–10), we see leaders distancing themselves, albeit cautiously.Furthermore, there's the failure of the thaw between Trump and Putin, which had been noticeable in recent months after their meeting in Alaska. Unless, of course, one considers the latest tweet where Trump thanked Putin for his condolences over the "non-Nobel."What could this lead to?The first thing that stands out is Russia's loss of its "global player" image. A postponement to November, which has been hinted at, is unlikely. According to Ushakov, the decision "depends on our Arab friends," which means "inshallah, bukra" (God willing, tomorrow). This could also weaken Russia's positions on the Syrian issue or in energy deals with OPEC+, which, by the way, they were heavily counting on.For the region, this means a strengthening of the influence of the U.S. and its Arab allies (in the event of a successful Gaza agreement), while simultaneously marginalizing the Moscow/Tehran axis. In a global sense, one can speak of a crisis for the idea of "multipolarity" that Moscow actively promotes. The Kremlin is trying to build alliances but is facing the reality of sanctions and its partners' priorities.Thus, this event is a typical diplomatic "fail," where the Kremlin is trying to save its reputation with rhetoric, but the facts (namely, the low turnout) speak of isolation. If the Trump Plan fails, the summit might be "revived"; otherwise, it will be forgotten. It is in our interests for it to succeed.SourceAbout the author. Ihor Semyvolos, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.