MOSCOW, March 2 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with the leaders of three Gulf Arab countries on Monday, offering to use Moscow’s ties with Iran to try to help restore calm in the Middle East following the attacks by the United States and Israel on the Islamic Republic, which he condemned.
In a series of calls with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, Putin criticized US and Israeli attacks on Iran, which the Kremlin described as ‘unprovoked aggression’.
Previously, the Kremlin said Moscow remained in constant contact with the Iranian leadership.
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Moscow sees its strategic partnership with Iran as key to maintaining its remaining influence in the Middle East, where its influence took a blow when its mutual ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was overthrown 15 months ago.
While Russia may benefit from higher oil prices and may welcome Washington’s shift in focus away from Ukraine, the US-Israel air war also goes against Moscow’s desire for a multilateral world order in which the United States is not dominant.
The Gulf Arab states, all close US allies, have been the target of Iranian drone and missile attacks since the United States and Israel launched their airstrikes on Saturday.
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According to the Kremlin’s statement on Putin’s call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Russian leader offered to act as a communication channel, conveying the UAE’s complaints about the attacks carried out by Tehran.
During the call, “both sides emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire and a return to the political and diplomatic process,” the Kremlin added.
In Putin’s call with Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Kremlin said both leaders spoke about their concern about the widening conflict and the risk of third countries becoming involved. And Putin told Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa that Russia is ready to do everything it can to stabilize the situation in the region.
On Sunday, Putin condemned the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a ‘cynical’ homicide. Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused the US and Israel of plunging the Middle East ‘into an abyss of uncontrolled escalation’.
But Moscow is also keen to not alienate US President Donald Trump’s administration as Washington is mediating peace talks over Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow wants these talks to continue.
‘We have our own interests that we must protect, and it is in our interests to continue these negotiations (on Ukraine),’ Peskov said.
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(Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Dmitry Antonov)
