Kathrine Frich
As fighting spreads across the Middle East, global leaders are weighing the wider consequences.
In Kyiv, attention has turned not only to Tehran, but to Moscow.
Ukraine’s president used the moment to send a pointed message to Vladimir Putin — arguing that recent events show how fragile authoritarian alliances can be.
Power and weakness
According to the Daily Express, Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has demonstrated it cannot be relied upon as a strategic partner.
“It seems to me that today Putin has already shown what kind of ally he is in Syria, when, in principle, they [the Russians] were unable to help the regime of [Bashar] Assad. Likewise, in my view, [the Russians] have now demonstrated their weakness as well. That is, as allies they are worthless.”
Assad’s government collapsed in December 2024 following a major offensive by opposition forces. The former Syrian leader was later granted asylum in Moscow.
Zelensky suggested that Moscow’s failure to prevent that outcome should serve as a warning to other regimes.
Message to Putin
“What is happening in Iran, it seems to me, is a good message for Putin to look at how dictatorship ends,” he said.
The remarks came after US and Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US-linked positions in the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, calling the killing ” a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law”.
Sources: Daily Express, Reuters
