As Israel and Iran exchange missile and drone strikes following the June 13 Israeli attack on military targets in Isfahan and Bushehr, the world watches nervously — not just because of the risk of a full-scale regional war, but because the ripple effects may reach well beyond the Middle East. Into this firestorm, former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have entered, not with weapons, but with words — and diplomatic gambits that could reshape not only the region but the course of the war in Ukraine.

Yet, amidst all the noise, one dangerous trend becomes clear: Russia sees the Israeli-Iranian war as both a distraction and a strategic opportunity. And Trump, who once promised to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “in 24 hours,” now appears more focused on brokering peace between Tehran and Tel Aviv.

Trump’s cryptic post — “His war must end too” — addressed to Putin, raises further questions. Was it a signal? A suggestion of diplomatic linkage between the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East? Whatever the intent, it reveals an uncomfortable possibility: that Trump views the Israel-Iran war as a more pressing, or more solvable, conflict than the one in Ukraine.

As the Gaza war did in 2023, this new front threatens to divert Western attention and resources away from Ukraine. Aid money, weapons shipments, and political energy — all may shift toward Israel at Ukraine’s expense. This is a calculation Moscow is banking on,........

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