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The UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade confirmed that the Trade in Services and Investment Agreement with Russia took effect on August 22, 2026. The pact was signed on August 8, 2025, in Moscow by UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov. The signing took place on the sidelines of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to Russia. The agreement establishes a dedicated bilateral framework for services and investment that complements the Economic Partnership Agreement between the UAE and the Eurasian Economic Union covering trade in goods.
Al Zeyoudi said, “The entry into force of the UAE-Russia TISIA, alongside the Economic Partnership Agreement with the EAEU, represents the full activation of a comprehensive trade and investment framework that will unlock significant opportunities for businesses and investors in both nations.” The minister added that Russia is a major economic partner for the UAE with bilateral non-oil trade reaching $20.4 billion in 2025. Ministry figures show the 2025 non-oil trade volume reflected a 77.7 percent increase from 2024 and nearly double the 2022 level of $10.8 billion.
The agreement establishes clear rules and protections for services trade and cross-border investment. It seeks to reduce barriers to market entry, facilitate the movement of professionals and create a more predictable environment for businesses operating in both countries. The pact targets expanded collaboration in high-growth services sectors such as fintech, healthcare, transport, logistics and professional services, the ministry statement indicated.
Russia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, a bloc of five nations with a combined population of 200 million and a GDP approaching $5 trillion. The UAE has pursued an active Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement program since its launch in September 2021. Ministry assessments place the total number of CEPAs concluded at 38 with economies across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, of which 18 have entered into force as the country works toward raising non-oil foreign trade to $1.1 trillion by 2031.
A World Trade Organisation report issued earlier this year ranked the UAE among the world’s top 10 exporting countries. The WTO’s World Trade Prospects and Statistics document recorded the UAE’s combined goods and services trade rising from $949 billion in 2021 to $1.637 trillion in 2025. Goods trade reached $1.33 trillion with exports comprising 53 percent of the total while services trade amounted to the equivalent of $310 billion.
The same report highlighted a trade surplus of 584.1 billion dirhams in 2025, up 19 percent from 492.3 billion dirhams in 2024. Services trade exceeded the 1 trillion dirhams threshold for the first time, reflecting growth in exports that accounted for 61.4 percent of the services total. These outcomes align with the UAE’s broader trade agenda that emphasises rules-based linkages to support economic diversification.
