But nothing is clear-cut when it comes to how the new conflict in the Middle East overlays on Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion. Oleksii Reznikov, a former defence minister of Ukraine, said: “When DC started this war, Putin smiled in the Kremlin. Analysts have said that a continued slowing of the economy this year could potentially force Putin to reconsider some of his war aims. A European intelligence official said the idea of Russia sharing such data with Iran seemed to be at odds with what is known about the Kremlin’s policy towards the Trump administration. Olexander Scherba, Ukraine’s ambassador to South Africa, decided to make public his response to the local Iranian embassy after receiving an invite to sign.

Source: The Irish Times March 08, 2026 20:27 UTC