Putin: No evidence
Photo: AP
Expert: We missed opportunity to enlist Russians against Iran
Russia expert says Israel was wrong in believing it could pressure Russia on Iran via US; 'Russia has its own interests'
The damage caused by a lack of direct dialogue with Russia regarding the Iranian nuclear issue is beyond repair, Yaakov Kidmi, former head of the Russian Jewry liaison office Nativ said Thursday.
His comments were made in response to Russian President Vladmir Putin's refusal to tighten sanctions on Iran because of a lack of evidence that the Middle Eastern state is developing nuclear weapons.
Kidmi explained that some politicians in Israel wrongly believed that it was possible to pressure Russia to toughen its stance on Iran through the US. "Apparently they did not understand that Russia has its own interests," Kidmi continued.
The Russian expert believes that Moscow does not feel very threatened by the prospect of a nuclear Iran. "Russia today has three strategic nuclear threats – the US, China and Europe, the Iranians are not at the top of this list," Kidmi explained.
According to the consultant, "the Russians are of the opinion that the era of the uni-polar world is coming to an end and the US will no longer be able to dictate policy to countries all over the world."
Russia worried of puppet government in Iran
At this point in time, it is not in Russia's interest to weaken Iran and encourage the prospect of an American-allied regime taking power there, the former Nativ head said. An American puppet government in Iran is a lot worse for the Russians than the symbolic US presence in Georgia, Kidmi continued.
According to Dr Baruch Gorvich, a Russian expert from the University of Haifa, this is the first time that Putin has said outright that he will not support tougher sanctions against Iran. "Putin is using the example of what occurred in Iraq when all the accusations of possession of unconventional weapons proved to be false," the expert said.
"It is in Russia's interest to continue its relationship with Iran and they are exploiting the lack of intelligence on Iran's nuclear program to their benefit," Gorvich said.
