Russia confirmed it will stay in OPEC+ after the UAE announced its exit, underscoring the alliance's resilience amid supply disruptions from the Iran war and Ukraine conflict. In the OPEC+ framework, Russia and Saudi Arabia act as de-facto co-leaders, while the group's top members in the Persian Gulf have been grappling with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE exit, effective May 1, follows six decades of membership and was the third-biggest OPEC producer before the Iran war, trailing only Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In March, Russia 's crude-only output was virtually flat at 9.167 MMbpd, a figure that is 407,000 bpd below the quota it was allowed to produce under the OPEC+ agreement. The country has no incentives to leave the alliance because it sees no options to raise oil production significantly in the near future, a source close to the government said. Interfax quoted Russia 's Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the OPEC+ format "helps significantly minimize fluctuations on energy markets and stabilize them," adding that the work is "very important, especially crucial in the current conditions, when energy markets are, to put it mildly, in turmoil." The energy ministry in Kazakhstan confirmed that changing its participation format is not on the agenda, and officials at other OPEC+ members said they did not expect a wider exodus to follow the UAE exit. While Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure limit the country's ability to ramp up production, the continued commitment of Russia and Saudi Arabia to the OPEC+ alliance should help maintain market stability.