Russia's Naive Hopes: Could Escalation in the Middle East Divert Attention from Ukraine

Russia's naive hopes: can escalation in the Middle East distract attention from Ukraine Natalya Belzetskaya

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran. The country blamed Israel for this and ordered a direct strike in response.

It is clear that after this situation, the US will turn more attention to the Middle East. Political scientist Igor Reiterovich told Channel 24 about this, noting that this is explained by the fact that American troops are in Israel.

How will this affect aid to Ukraine?

The United States has certain agreements with Israel, so the country is obliged to provide aid and will continue to do so. On the other hand, it is doubtful that Russia will be able to take advantage of the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

Any escalation involving Iran would immediately mean the cessation of any supplies, in particular the “Shaheds”, which the aggressor country needs. Iran may even start demanding weapons from Russia, which it already has so little of.

Also, we should not forget about Europe. In fact, for Europeans, the war in the Middle East is much further away than the Russian-Ukrainian one. Therefore, the naive hopes of Russians that if it breaks out somewhere else, then everyone will rush there and forget about Ukraine, will not come true, – the political scientist emphasized.

Moreover, in many European countries, unfortunately, there is a very specific attitude towards Israel. Various statements are voiced that Israel is allegedly doing wrong, “mocking” the Palestinians. People are going out to rallies. Therefore, Europe may react differently, but it will definitely not forget about Ukraine.

So, a new war that may break out, of course, is not something good. But for Ukraine, it will also not be a very big catastrophe in terms of providing assistance. In addition, the format of the war in Israel is somewhat different.

The last factor is that Iran must first agree on any war with its partner. This is not Russia at all, but China, which is not interested in a large global war, – Igor Reiterovich emphasized.