A Letter to His Excellency Khaldoon Al Mubarak

Your Excellency,

I write at the suggestion of John Buck. I am an American hedge fund manager based in Bali, and the father of a six-year-old boy, Leon Levenstein, who is a United States citizen.

Leon has been in the Russian Federation since December 2023, and I have not been able to see him. I have pursued every legal avenue there: custody proceedings, a Hague Convention petition, appeals, and requests for visitation. In September 2026 the Moscow City Court issued a visitation order in my favour on appeal. An order is only as useful as the means to carry it out, and I still have no reliable way to be with my son.

I know that the United Arab Emirates has earned the trust of both Washington and Moscow in bringing people home, and that the discretion shown in those efforts has spared families years of anguish. I do not presume that Leon’s situation falls within what the UAE can do. I am asking only whether it might, and whom I should speak to.

My request is a modest one: ten minutes of your time, or the name of the right person to ask. I can come to Abu Dhabi at short notice, or speak by video whenever it suits you.

Whatever your answer, I am grateful for your consideration.