What Putin’s Iran Play Reveals About the Ukraine War
Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi underscores the growing interconnection between the Ukraine and Iran conflicts, as Moscow benefits from heightened energy prices and reduced Western focus on Ukraine. Iran's crisis has eased financial pressure on Russia's war economy through increased oil revenues, while competition for limited U.S. air defense systems strains support for Kyiv. Diplomatic attention is shifting toward the Middle East, giving Russia more room to escalate in Ukraine and strengthen its position ahead of potential negotiations. The broader strategic picture reveals that Washington's rivals are exploiting overlapping crises in ways that challenge U.S. foreign policy coherence.
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...By Newsweek EditorsShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.When Russian President Vladimir Putin shook hands in St. Petersburg with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, it was a physical connection that symbolized a link between their two nations that has become increasingly clear in recent weeks. Putin told Araghchi, “We see how courageously and heroically the Iranian people are fighting for their independence and sovereignty,” and presented Russia as a diplomatic broker in a war involving the U.S. and Israel. The simple reading is to dismiss it as another anti-Western photo-op, all hollow smiles and dead eyes.
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