Trump's Iran Strike Alarms Russian Hardliners Who Now Demand Putin Abandon Ukraine Peace Talks

When Trump returned to the White House last year, some Russian hardliners were cautiously hopeful his unpredictable nature might benefit Moscow on Ukraine. That optimism has sharply reversed. Trump's assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes has convinced many Russian hawks that Trump is systematically eliminating Moscow's allies, pointing to Syria's Assad, who was toppled in December 2024, Venezuela's Maduro who was seized by U.S. forces in January, and now Iran's Khamenei. Some hardliners are now openly demanding Moscow abandon U.S.-brokered Ukraine peace talks entirely, arguing Washington cannot be trusted. The Kremlin, however, is balancing carefully condemning U.S. actions as unprovoked aggression while avoiding personal criticism of Trump and continuing Ukraine peace negotiations. Russia has offered Iran only diplomatic support. Meanwhile, Putin's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, noted rising oil prices could ease pressure on Russia's strained state budget.