Why Putin Won’t Pick Sides In The Iran-Israel Conflict | World News
Iran-Israel War: On June 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the Kremlin. The meeting came just a day after the United States launched strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Middle East is on edge. Iran and Israel are trading blows. The world is watching. And Russia, caught in the middle, is walking a tightrope.
Putin called the U.S. strike on Iran “completely unjustified”. He described the moment as serious and said the time had come to “think together” to find a way out.
Russia condemned the American strikes through its Foreign Ministry. The official statement said Moscow “strongly denounces” the attacks and urged all parties to return to diplomacy. Russia made it clear that it supports peace, not escalation.
Putin reminded the Iranian envoy of Moscow’s long-standing ties with Tehran. He said Russia had always stood by the Iranian people.
Araghchi echoed the sentiment. He called Iran-Russia relations not just friendly, but “strategic”. He accused both Israel and the United States of violating international law.
Still, Putin has not offered Iran military help. And this silence is drawing attention.
Earlier this year, Russia and Iran signed a partnership agreement. It talked of more security cooperation. But it was never a defense pact. Russia is under no obligation to back Iran in a war.
Analysts in Moscow say the timing matters. Russia is already deep in the Ukraine war. It does not want a second front. And it cannot afford to lose ties with Israel either.
Putin has taken calls from both sides. After the Israeli strike on June 13, he spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He condemned Israel’s action. But he also called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. To him, Putin stressed the need for diplomacy to deal with Iran’s nuclear programme.
So far, Putin has avoided taking a hard line. He wants to keep the door open to both Tehran and Tel Aviv. And there is another reason – one that few say out loud.
More than 2 million Russian speakers live in Israel. Many came from the Soviet Union. Putin knows this. He once called Israel “almost a Russian-speaking country”. That matters to him.
Speaking at a recent economic forum in St. Petersburg, Putin said Russia would not abandon its friends. He reminded the world that 15% of Russia’s population is Muslim. And he pointed to Moscow’s record such as building the Bushehr reactor in Iran despite pressure.
Putin believes peace must come with balance. He supports Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy. He supports Israel’s right to feel secure. He is offering neither weapons nor troops. Only words.
Russia is not choosing sides. At least not now. For Putin, diplomacy is the strategy. And distance, for now, is the shield.
