With the recent tensions between Iran and the United States bringing the two countries to the cusp of war, Putin is reportedly sanding on the sidelines drooling.
According to news reports, Putin is already meeting with Middle East leaders to present Russia as a sort of “broker” among the feuding powers.
Taking Advantage
Russia would obviously love to have a more significant role in the Middle East.
Democrats have been railing about this for some time, claiming Trump is trying to hand Putin the Middle East on a silver platter.
While that is clearly not the case, the strike against General Soleimani has created an opportunity for the Russians.
Leadership in Iran cannot even agree on the tack they want to take with the United States, with some leaders calling for a de-escalation while others are calling for another revenge strike.
Some “experts” believe all of this turmoil has given Putin the in he has been looking for.
Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a previous employee of the National Intelligence Council and current senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, stated, “Putin sees pushing back against U.S. unilateralism as a personal mission and he is extremely opportunistic.
“He will, therefore, seek to capitalize on every opportunity he can to use the assassination of Soleimani and any ensuing instability to tarnish Washington’s reputation in the region.”
Anna Borshchevskaya, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, stated, “The last thing Putin wants is to have to pick a side in the Middle East.
“His best card is as a mediator and I suspect they are in a wait-and-see mode now. If Russia does something major, it will be diplomatically.”
Putin has already put this card into play, traveling to Turkey this week to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reportedly to work on easing Middle East tensions.
It actually behooves Putin to try to maintain the peace, because he surely does not want to be forced to take a side against the United States in an extended conflict.
Of course, all this is happening on the tail end of the entire Russian government resigning to allow Putin to make sweeping constitutional changes to the power structure of the Russian government.
These changes are expected to remove power from the presidency and shift them to the Prime Minister and Parliament once Putin steps down in 2024.
