US has no clear exit strategy from Iran war: Russian British ambassador

Russia’s ambassador to the UK told CNBC that the US and Israel’s war against Iran is “unfortunate” and that its goals and exit strategy remain unclear.

Andrei Kelin said Russia has “great sympathy” for the Iranian government and said the “best end” to the escalating war in the Middle East would be “to just show them how stupid they are.”

“We’re still trying to understand what President Trump’s goals are in this campaign,” Kelin said in an interview recorded Thursday with CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick. “You know there are a lot of questions being expressed about possible exit strategies for the U.S. government in this effort.”

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, expressing his “unwavering support” for Tehran and saying that his country “has been and will continue to be a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic.”

The war has been raging for two weeks, with large-scale attacks reported across Iran’s capital and significant disruption to shipping traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The White House said the goal of Operation Epic Fury was to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, production capacity, and navy, cut off support for foreign proxies, and ensure that Iran could never acquire a nuclear weapon.

The White House said Thursday that these goals “have remained clear and consistent” since the operation began on Feb. 28.

“We have a lot of sympathy for Iran. We have a lot of sympathy for the Persian Gulf states as well. There’s no doubt about it. I just don’t understand the position when everyone is blaming Iran,” Kerin said.

“As I said, the crisis started with the invasion of Iran by Israel and the United States, which of course was in the middle of negotiations,” he continued, referring to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program that took place in Geneva, Switzerland, last month.

“The President has discussed this issue with the President of the United States. We can make a good contribution in terms of ending this issue and bringing it together.”

CNBC has reached out to spokespeople for the White House and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is awaiting a response.

Along with China, which receives millions of barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz despite the waterway being blocked by the war, Russia is one of Iran’s most influential diplomatic partners.

“We have a strategic partnership with Iran. We’re not military allies, but we have a strategic partnership and we have a lot of communication in various areas,” Kelin told CNBC.

Asked to clarify whether Moscow has any military ties with Iran, Kelin replied: “I don’t comment on that aspect.”

British Defense Secretary John Healy told reporters on Thursday that Putin’s “hidden hand” appears to be behind Iran’s military strategy and potentially even some of Iran’s military capabilities.

Iran has reportedly launched more than 2,000 Shahed drones across the Middle East since the war began. These drones were first designed in Iran and were used extensively during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Regarding Ukraine, Russia’s Kerin said that Kiev was “steadily” and “surely” moving towards defeat after more than four years of war, despite little Russian military movement and rising casualties.

Asked about the inactivity of the Russian military, Kerin replied: “There was, of course, a certain pause during the winter. At the moment there are problems in the spring because the roads are in poor condition, but believe me, what is being considered now is about 10% of the territory of Donbass, which is not yet under our control.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier this week that the Kremlin’s own assessment estimates that more than 1.3 million Russian soldiers have been killed or injured on the battlefield since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. CNBC could not independently verify this report.

A report released in January by the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Russian battlefield casualties were much higher than Ukrainian military casualties, with Ukrainian military casualties likely to number between 500,000 and 600,000.

Kerin said he was confident that both Moscow and Kiev would eventually agree to a diplomatic solution to the war.

“I can’t say when that will happen, but a diplomatic solution is desperately needed,” Kerin said.

Kerin said the United States is “playing a constructive role in this diplomatic effort,” but added: “We are not making any effort to seek or support this diplomatic solution because Ukraine is not ready at the moment and Europe still wants to help Ukraine in any way it can, including by providing arms and money, so this will continue to be the case for some time.”

U.S.-brokered talks on the Ukraine war are on hold due to the Iran conflict, and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told CNBC on Tuesday that talks are likely to take place next week. Prior to the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had urged the United States not to lift sanctions against Russia, but the White House has since moved to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian oil at sea.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Karas recently said there appeared to be “no end in sight” to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

He told a news conference on Monday that it was clear Russia’s military was “stalled” and its economy was in freefall.

“Russia’s maximalist demands cannot be met with a minimalist response,” Karas said. “That’s common sense. If you limit the size of the Ukrainian military, you should also limit the Russian military.”