NATO in Ukraine equals Russia's Iran nuke threat to Israel

Meanwhile, the fact that Russia did not receive an invitation to the Jeddah conference does not at all suggest that Saudi Arabia is not keen to increase cooperation with Moscow. On the contrary, Sami Miaari says that this partnership has noticeably increased in scale in recent years.

“I think Saudi Arabia is playing a very nice political game and they now also consider Russia as a partner. This kind of game didn’t exist few years ago, because the most important and the [only] partners of Saudi Arabia were the United States and UK and that’s it. But now the game has changed. Now they would like to make cooperation with Russia, they would like also to make cooperation, I mean political and also economical, with China, with Japan and they would no longer consider the United States as the only [partner].” 

As for the reasons for launching a special military operation in Ukraine, Israelis are divided, says the founder of the Arab Economic Forum. He also admits that a large proportion of Israeli politicians and ordinary citizens are aware of the risks for Russia that Ukraine's accession to NATO could entail.

“The most prominent reason behind Ukrainian conflict is the possibility of NATO’s dominance in Ukraine. For example, why Israel will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapon? Because it will become a strategical threat for Israel’s security. So, it is the same situation for Russia, when we talk about NATO’s involvement in Ukraine.” 

The economist, published in such publications as Oxford University Press and the Journal of the European Economic Association, sees no other way to end the Ukrainian conflict than to initiate peace talks. However, in order to achieve peace agreements it is necessary to take into account the vital interests of both sides of the confrontation. This is why at the moment the proposed Western initiatives, such as President Zelensky's "peace formula", are not conducive to a ceasefire.

“I think at the end of this war the Ukrainians understand this will not be solved without peace negotiations with Russia, and understanding the interests of the 2 sides, and going to common understanding, that will be beneficial for both parties. I think this is the only way. But if the war continues, I don’t think Ukraine will exit from it with any benefit.”

How is this war reshaping Israel's standing on the global stage? This pressing inquiry is what Nick Kolyohin seeks to address as part of his latest endeavor, "The World is Burning." This captivating series of articles will be featured exclusively here in the Jerusalem Post.