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Russia and Ukraine now fighting a new war – in the Middle East
The proxy war has given Zelensky a new card as Gulf states seek Ukrainian weaponry while Russia steps up military support for Iran.
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A Shahed drone being paraded in Tehran in 2025. By last year, around 90 per cent of all the Iranian-designed Shahed drones used against Ukraine were made in Russia.
PHOTO: ARASH KHAMOOSHI/NYTIMES
The wars raging in Ukraine and Iran take place on different continents, involve different actors and – at least on first sight – have very different global strategic implications. Yet more than a month since the US and Israel unleashed their attacks on Iran, the conflict in Europe is slowly becoming entangled with the one in the Middle East.
To be sure, much of this entanglement still takes place away from the public eye. But its results are increasingly becoming clearer.
