For the second time in a week, a telephone conversation has taken place between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leader of Iran. As the US and Israeli regimes continue their strikes on Iran, Putin is styling himself as an international peacemaker. However, this is not an easy sell, given that the Kremlin leader ordered Russia's full-scale invasion of the independent sovereign nation of Ukraine in 2022.
While the Kremlin is now calling for "a swift de-escalation and political resolution [of the Iran conflict]", Russia is continuing its war of attrition against Ukraine. Moscow has a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" agreement with Tehran, but it falls far short of a mutual defence treaty. Last week, Putin reaffirmed the Kremlin's "unwavering support" for Iran, yet primarily offers to mediate in the conflict.
In Monday's telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, according to the Kremlin, Putin "expressed several thoughts aimed at a swift diplomatic resolution of the Iran conflict, based among other things on contacts with leaders of Gulf states, the president of Iran, and leaders of other countries". For Russia, this is a chance to boost its profile in the Gulf and the Middle East, and to present itself as a power with influence.
Moreover, the conflict provides Moscow with economic opportunities. The recent jump in global oil prices has delivered a much-needed boost to Russian government revenues and, amid a prolonged period of high prices, will help Russia continue funding its war on Ukraine. Russia's federal budget is based on exporting oil at $59 a barrel, but this week crude oil surged dramatically to almost $120 and remains well above the $59 mark.
Trump has also suggested that the US regime will waive oil-related sanctions "on some countries" to ease the shortage caused by the Iran war. If oil sanctions are eased on Russia, Moscow can look forward to an even greater financial windfall. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that would be a "serious blow" for Kyiv and urged Trump against it. The pro-Kremlin Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper declared optimistically in today's edition: "Expensive oil is a reason [for the West] to cancel sanctions."
Source: www.bbc.com