Russia Condemns, Ukraine Backs Iran Strikes as US-Israel Offensive Redraws Global War Lines Beyond the Middle East
Russia and Ukraine offered sharply contrasting reactions as the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran, exposing widening geopolitical fault lines over a conflict that rapidly expanded beyond the Middle East and into the broader global security debate.
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| American strikes against Iran on the residence of the Supreme Leader; Via: MARADIOFM |
Moscow’s Foreign Ministry issued a stronger institutional rebuke, calling the U.S.–Israeli action “a preplanned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state.”
The ministry accused Washington and Tel Aviv of “hiding behind” concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme while pursuing regime change and warned the strikes risked triggering a “humanitarian, economic and possibly radiological catastrophe” that could plunge the Middle East into “an abyss of uncontrolled escalation.” Russia demanded an immediate halt to military operations and a return to negotiations.
The condemnation reflects Russia’s deepening strategic partnership with Tehran. Iran has emerged as a key economic and security partner for Moscow amid Western sanctions, and the two countries signed a broad cooperation pact last year while expanding military coordination, including joint naval exercises in regional waters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi following the strikes, reiterating Moscow’s readiness to help broker peace while supporting Tehran’s call for an urgent United Nations Security Council session.
At the same time, the escalation places President Vladimir Putin in a complex strategic position. Russia has attempted to maintain working relations with Israel even as it strengthened ties with Iran, while recent diplomatic engagement between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine and economic contacts complicates the Kremlin’s response.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Putin convened Russia’s Security Council via videoconference to assess developments but disclosed no operational decisions.
Ukraine, however, responded from the opposite geopolitical vantage point, openly supporting stronger action against Iran. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argued that Kyiv understands the dangers posed by Tehran because Russia has relied heavily on Iranian-made weapons during the war in Ukraine.
Writing on social media, Zelenskyy said the Iranian regime had chosen to “side with Putin and supply him with ‘Shahed’ drones — not just the drones themselves, but the technology,” adding that Russian forces had used more than 57,000 Shahed-type attack drones against Ukrainian cities, energy infrastructure and civilians since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Zelenskyy said it was therefore “only fair to give the people of Iran the opportunity to rid themselves of the terrorist regime and ensure the security of all nations that have suffered from terrorism originating from Iran,” while stressing that “preserving human lives to the greatest extent possible” and preventing the spread of war remained essential.
He added that decisive American action weakens “global criminals,” a message he said must also reach Russia. The diverging responses underscore how the Middle East escalation has become entangled with the war in Ukraine and broader great-power rivalry. While Moscow portrays the strikes as destabilising unilateral aggression, Kyiv views pressure on Iran as strategically linked to weakening Russia’s military capabilities.
The military confrontation began after Israel, backed by the United States, launched strikes targeting Iranian military and government-linked sites, including locations near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Sirens sounded across Israel amid fears of retaliation, while Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli territory and U.S. military installations across the Gulf region.
President Donald Trump confirmed American participation, announcing that the United States had begun what he described as “major combat operations” aimed at “defending the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”
He accused Tehran of decades of violence against U.S. forces and allies and reiterated that Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon.”
The widening exchange of attacks triggered airspace closures across parts of the Middle East, emergency diplomatic consultations among world powers and growing concern among European leaders about the risk of a broader regional war.
As missile exchanges continued and diplomatic efforts shifted toward crisis management at the United Nations, the sharply opposing reactions from Moscow and Kyiv highlighted how the Iran confrontation is no longer confined to regional rivalries but has become another arena in the evolving global contest over security, alliances and the future balance of power.
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