Moscow’s rapprochement with Hamas and the subsequent deterioration in ties with Israel signals the failure of Russia’s long-standing goal of appearing as a great power by acting as a mediator in the Middle East.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia actively borrowed Western—primarily European—legal and bureaucratic practices. Now that the European path appears to be closed off entirely, the Middle East is fast emerging as an alternative route.

Shared support for Hamas likely means better diplomatic relations between Moscow and Ankara. But any warming of ties will only be situational.

Carnegie Politika podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Dr. Hanna Notte, director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and a senior non-resident scholar at CSIS, to discuss Russia's position on the conflict in the Middle East.

Ukraine is reluctant to risk its hard-earned ties with the Global South, but it certainly cannot afford to lose irreplaceable Western assistance, leaving Kyiv with very little room for maneuver.

Moscow’s relationship with the militant group Hamas is part of a Middle East strategy meant to boost its standing in the Global South: an effort that has long involved building ties with both Israel and its sworn enemies.