UAE relationship with US facing a 'stress test' says Emirati diplomat

Yousef al-Otaiba, the Emirati ambassador to the US, said the United Arab Emirates and the United States are facing a "stress test" in their relationship.

"Our relationship with the US is like any relationship. It has strong days where the relationship is very healthy, and days where the relationship is under question," Otaiba told the International Defence Industry, Technology and Security Conference in Abu Dhabi.

"Today, we're going through a stress test, but I'm confident that we will get out of it and we will get to a better place."

Otaiba's comments come days after the UAE abstained on a UN Security Council vote demanding Russia withdraw from Ukraine.