The ongoing armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas Movement has seemingly brought fresh air to Russia. Although the Russia-Ukraine War has been going on in Europe since February 24, 2022; the armed conflict in Gaza stole the global attention on October 7, 2023 after Israel declared a war against Hamas following rocket attacks on the Jewish nation by the Palestinian outfit. Diplomatically, the Kremlin has a lot to be happy about the current situation in the Gaza Strip, and the Ukrainians should be worried about the same.
The US and its Western allies have always considered any crisis in Israel as their own. At the moment, it is not possible for NATO to focus on a large-scale anti-Russian campaign in Ukraine. Moscow could use this opportunity to escalate the war in Ukraine, if it wants so. Although no one can predict Moscow's desire in advance, the global community has noticed some indications in this regard.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov recently said that the US arms shipments to Kiev might decrease as the Joe Biden Administration would have to stand by Israel during the Gaza conflict. Defence experts can claim that there is a stark difference between the type of weapons being supplied to Ukraine and the type of weapons being sent to Israel by the US. Hence, there shall be no conflict between US' policies towards Ukraine and Israel. Tel Aviv requires Iron-Dome missiles, long-range anti-missile weapons and artillery shells, etc., while Ukraine's needs are completely different.
No one can deny the fact that Israel's requirements shall change, if it launches ground warfare in Palestinian territories. Brussels recently hosted a NATO meeting during which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy expressed serious concern over the deteriorating situation in his country. Grant Shapps, the British Secretary of State for Defence, reportedly assured President Zelenskyy that the War in Europe could not be less important to London, and the Rishi Sunak Administration was closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine.
Apart from arms supplies, the Ukrainian President has a lot to worry about. Whatever Shapps said to Zelenskyy, Washington DC considers the Gaza conflict as the most important one. It is not just an issue of arms supply, but an issue of much bigger engagement that includes diplomacy and economics.
Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin reportedly told his inner circle that the Hamas Movement diverted the attention of Western Powers by carrying out rocket attacks on Israel, and that it was a good sign for Moscow. The Russian Strongman also described the deadly Israel-Hamas conflict as the ultimate failure of the US' West Asia Policy. Of course, Putin's view is diplomatically important. He wanted to say that the US and its Western allies developed a habit of getting involved in Regional Politics. And they have always failed to resolve the regional crises, instead prolonged them.
In fact, the Russian President is right. Amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, the global community has to accept his view. Hence, one should admit that President Putin and his war-loving friends may take advantage of the current situation and escalate the ongoing war in Ukraine.
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