Although the European and American statesmen through their media try to magnify the pain and suffering of the Ukrainian people and the destruction caused by the Russian invasion to the cities and infrastructure of that Eastern European country, and incite world public opinion against Kremlin, their positions and practical approach shows that their strategy is not a quick end to the war, and that they intend to weaken Russia more and bring its credibility under question by keeping it in this quagmire.

Of course, adoption of such an approach is a little questionable considering the economic and political consequences of the war in Ukraine; Russia and Ukraine supply about 30 percent of the world’s wheat and grains, and Russia has been the largest grain exporter in the world in the past five years. On the other hand, Russia has a special position in the export of oil and gas. The daily export of Russian oil is about 5 million barrels, half of which was sent to European countries before the Ukraine war. On the other hand, Russia supplied about 40 percent of the gas demand of Europe. Therefore, the special position of Russia in the supply cycle of strategic goods means that the results of the continuation of this crisis will not be limited to both sides of the war and will have serious regional and international consequences.

Although the economic consequences of the war can fuel internal discontent and political changes in European countries, European statesmen have tried to find alternative energy sources, increase government support for vulnerable groups, and define some economic austerity policies in their internal system in order to increase the resilience of their countries against the war and counter-sanctions of Russia, and not only do not fall short against that country, but also stand up against it by increasing military support for Ukraine. But why? What is the reason for this costly stubbornness?

The answer to this question may lie in the interview of French President Emmanuel Macron with the French weekly newspaper “Le Journal du Dimanche” after attending the Munich Security Conference 2023. He said in that interview: Russia must be defeated, but should not be destroyed. Such remarks show that Europe has not yet forgotten the memory of the world wars and is trying to learn from the lessons of the two devastating wars and not to repeat its mistakes. European countries currently look at Russia as the arrogant Germany of 1914; an aggressor country that one cannot and should not remain silent in the face of its territorial expansionism, and of course it should not be crushed with humiliating agreements like Germany of 1919, but it is necessary to be defeated and humiliated like Germany of 1945, and then normalize relations and resume economic relations with it.

On the other side of the Atlantic, the attitude and strategy of the US national security that has been presented by the Biden administration is somewhat different. In the framework of that strategy, Russia and China are the two main powers that challenge the hegemony of the United States, and therefore their containment is the main priority of the United States in the field of foreign policy. Therefore, it can be said that the interests of the United States dictate that it engages its main rivals in wars of attrition and reduce their global power and prestige as much as possible. Therefore, the involvement of Russia in the war with Ukraine and the continuation of the war to the point of completely weakening Russia, is exactly in line with the objectives and interests of the United States, and therefore, the authorities of that country are trying to advance their objectives and interests in the war through mechanisms such as inciting the Ukrainian authorities to stand up against Russia, encouraging European countries to continue military support for Ukraine, and launching a media war against Russia.

Based on this, it seems that the European countries and the United States agree on one issue, despite the difference in their concerns about the war in Ukraine; that it is necessary to continue the war in Ukraine until the complete weakening of Russia, and therefore the quick end of the war in Ukraine is not among the strategic priorities of any of them. In such a situation, if the Kremlin authorities fail to tactfully pull themselves out of the dangerous game, there will be no news of the end of the war in the current year.

But another important point regarding the war in Ukraine is the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the war and its effects on our country. Regarding the first case, it should be said that the official position of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been neutrality and emphasis on dialogue between the parties and a quick end to the war. However, Russia’s claim of using Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine with its devastating and unexpected effects, simultaneously with the country’s internal unrest in the past few months, forced the European and American powers to impose more strictures on our country and formed a wide propaganda and political attack against Iran; as a result, the war in Ukraine has become a negative and damaging factor in Iran’s foreign policy.

On the other hand, one of the most serious political-economic consequences of the war for Iran is the marginalization of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), slowing down the efforts to complete this international agreement, pushing Iran away from the world’s energy supplier market due to international sanctions that are in line with Russia’s interests. Of course, this issue does not only have political aspect and, due to the continuation of sanctions and pressure on the economy and livelihood of the Iranian people, also has deep economic and security consequences. The decrease in food exports, especially wheat, oilseeds and animal and poultry feed, from Russia and Ukraine has also fueled the food crisis and reduced people’s purchasing power, and its effects can be clearly seen in the Iranian market.

Based on this, it seems that unlike the European countries and the United States, interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran are in the end of the war in Ukraine and withdrawal of Russia from that danger. In this regard, in the current situation, when the Islamic Republic of Iran does not have the possibility of independently mediating to end this war due to the internal and international conditions, by attracting the opinion of the Kremlin officials and in cooperation with China and probably in synergy with the peace plan of that country, it can design an initiative to end the war in Ukraine and prevent European countries and the United States from trying to continue the war, which is not in Iran’s favor from any angle.