Kremlin criticizes Washington on Iran to justify itself and set conditions to blame the US for a possible failure of peace talks - ISW
Kyiv • UNN
Kremlin officials are criticizing the US for military operations against Iran, using the escalation in the Middle East. This sets the stage for blaming the US for potential failures in peace talks on Ukraine.
Moscow criticizes Washington for military operations against Iran and uses the escalation in the Middle East to create conditions for accusing the United States of possible future failures in peace talks regarding Russia's war against Ukraine, according to a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), writes UNN.
Kremlin officials are criticizing the United States for military operations against Iran and are using the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East to create conditions for blaming the US for any future failures in peace talks on Ukraine.
The Institute drew attention to the statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on March 5, who "criticized US rhetoric regarding American-Israeli operations against Iran, stating that US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are making contradictory statements about US motives in Iran and that the United States intended to sow discord and destabilize the Middle East in general, in particular, to drive a wedge between Iran and the Persian Gulf countries."
"Lavrov linked the military operation in Iran to Russia's war in Ukraine, stating that the United States and Israel intend to draw the Persian Gulf countries into the conflict, just as the West allegedly drew Ukraine into a conflict with Russia. Lavrov claimed that many Russian politicians, political scientists, and analysts are concerned about the timing of US operations against countries with which they are negotiating, and how this relates to peace talks in Ukraine," the report said.
As analysts note, "Lavrov stated that these Russian officials and political figures are concerned that the 'spirit' of the US-Russia summit in Alaska in August 2025 is fading, and agreed with this assessment." "However, Lavrov softened some of his claims, stating that the 'spirit' of the Alaska summit is not as important as the so-called 'agreements' of the summit - a vague term that the Kremlin uses to claim that the US and Russia have reached a formal agreement," the report notes.
"Lavrov also claimed that the Kremlin itself had not noticed signs that the United States was negotiating with Russia in bad faith, acting as a moderate voice to send a certain message to the Russian people and Russia's allies, without criticizing the Trump administration too much," ISW analysts noted.
As stated in the report, "other Russian officials are also using US military operations against Iran to sharply criticize the United States and contrast Russia's and the US's rhetoric, as well as to discredit US-led negotiations on Ukraine."
Citing statements by Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and Russian deputies, analysts note that "the Kremlin usually uses Medvedev for more extremist rhetoric than the Kremlin itself is willing to allow in its own, reflecting the true views of the Kremlin; the Kremlin also uses Duma deputies as mouthpieces for its rhetorical statements, especially to the domestic Russian audience."
"The Kremlin has long sought to drag out and delay peace talks on Ukraine, amid its demonstrated lack of interest in participating in any negotiations that do not meet its initial war demands, but it has to balance this goal with avoiding US sanctions or other measures that could force Russia into meaningful negotiations," the report says.
The Kremlin, it is noted, also "had to balance bilateral relations with the United States and relations with its allies and partners, including those who are opponents of the United States, such as Iran."
"The escalation of the Kremlin's rhetoric against the United States after the start of American-Israeli operations against Iran on February 28 indicates that the Kremlin may be increasingly struggling to maintain relations with the United States and maintain relations with its partners as operations against Iran continue," the report notes.
Russia may also use this direct criticism of the United States as a negotiating partner to justify itself from a future failure of negotiations on the war in Ukraine
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