As war engulfs Gaza, Putin sees a chance to regain some of Russia’s faded global stature | Sergey Radchenko

If it can retake its place at the high table of Middle Eastern politics, the Kremlin would be harking back to the Soviet Union's superpower glory days

On 26 October, a Hamas delegation headed by politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouk turned up in Moscow for talks that - according to Russian readouts - focused on the safety of Russian citizens in Gaza and the release of hostages. The Russians kept tight-lipped about the real purpose of the visit. The simultaneous presence in Moscow of Iran's deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani - who also met Hamas - suggested a troubling degree of coordination between Hamas on the one hand, and Russia and Iran on the other. The Israelis were quick to lodge a protest with Moscow.

Feting Hamas just weeks after its terrorist raid on Israel is part and parcel of Vladimir Putin's deliberate strategy of bolstering Russia's waning influence in the Middle East. Deft diplomacy and cynical opportunism can help the Kremlin carve out a role for itself in a region long deemed essential to Russia's great power ambitions. It would not be the first time.

Sergey Radchenko is Wilson E Schmidt distinguished professor at the Henry A Kissinger Center, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Baltimore

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