Putin eyes Israel-Iran crisis to reclaim global spotlight, offers to mediate despite Ukraine war

Vladimir Putin is eyeing the conflict between Israel and Iran as an opportunity to thrust himself to the forefront of the international stage, more than three years into his invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian president has pitched himself as a possible mediator-though Moscow's closeness to Iran and Russia's invasion of Ukraine raise doubts about what kind of role he can play, experts say.

The assault on Ukraine and the war in Gaza have strained Moscow's traditionally good relations with Israel, home to a large Russian-born community. At the same time, Russia has deepened military ties with Iran.


But while Moscow was quick to condemn Israel's strikes on Iran last Friday, Putin also wasted little time phoning both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to offer his role as a peacemaker. "By positioning itself as an indispensable intermediary, Moscow aims to reassert diplomatic relevance despite its pariah status in Europe," said Nicole Grajewski, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

It also wants to protect its ally Tehran, facing a potentially transformative military clash.

"Russia does not want to see regime change in Iran, especially if it results in a pro-Western government," she added.

Moscow and Tehran in January inked a far-ranging strategic partnership agreement to broaden military ties, and Kyiv and its allies have long accused Iran of supplying Russia with drones and short-range missiles.

French President Emmanuel Macron is among those to have pushed back at the idea of a mediation role for Putin.

"I do not believe that Russia, which is now engaged in a high-intensity conflict and has decided not to respect the UN Charter for several years now, can be a mediator," he said over the weekend.

Many others also see the prospect of Putin's involvement as worrying. "It would legitimise Russia as an indispensable great power at a time when it is waging the biggest war of aggression on European soil since World War II," said Anna Borshchevskaya, an analyst at The Washington Institute.

Trump on Wednesday rolled back his earlier openness to Putin playing middleman, telling the Kremlin chief to end his war on Ukraine before getting involved in the Iran-Israel conflict.

"He actually offered to help mediate, I said: 'Do me a favour, mediate your own. Let's mediate Russia first, okay?"' Trump told reporters at the White House. "I said 'Vladimir...you can worry about this later.'"