Live updates: How Russia’s assault on Ukraine affects MidEast
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could develop into the largest state-on-state conflict Europe has seen since World War II. But the war’s effects will not be limited to the continent.
Middle Eastern states have deep ties with both sides in trade, tourism and defense. While North African countries like Egypt and Libya have military ties with Moscow, they also rely on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products. Russia’s leveraging of natural gas in the conflict also has turned the spotlight on Arab Gulf states as oil surged past $100 on Thursday for the first time since 2014.
Turkey lies at the geographic center of the conflict, as calls from Kiev grow for Ankara to close the straits to the Black Sea to Russia’s navy.
Follow along with the latest updates affecting the region:
12:30 p.m., Feb. 24: Lebanon condemns Russian invasion
- Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry condemned Moscow’s attack and called on the Kremlin to “halt its military operation immediately and withdraw its forces” from Ukraine.
- Beirut’s statement cited previous foreign invasions of Lebanon “which led to losses that were felt for many years.”
Read more here.
11:00 a.m., Feb. 24: Pentagon says Russia aims for regime change in Ukraine
- The Kremlin “has every intention of basically decapitating Ukrainian leadership,” a senior US defense official told reporters Thursday morning.
- Russia committed more than 100 missiles and about 75 fighter jets during the first wave of strikes last night, the official said.
10:10 a.m., Feb. 24: AKP says Turkey is considering Ukraine’s request to close straits
- A spokesperson for Turkey’s ruling political party said the government had weighed Kyiv’s request for Ankara to close the Turkish straits to Russian ships, but offered no clarity on a decision.
- Turkey has “assessed all the scenarios” that could come from a decision to close the straits, and “will use its discretion in favor of peace instead of deepening the conflict,” AKP spokesperson Omer Celik said during a press conference.
- “Preparations both legally and diplomatically have been concluded. We will continue to follow the process. We certainly don’t want tensions to escalate further,” Celik said.
Read more here.
9:51 a.m., Feb. 24: Israel’s PM softens tone on Ukraine invasion
- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett avoided condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in a speech on Thursday evening, taking a more cautious tone than Foreign Minister Yair Lapid did earlier today.
- “These are difficult and tragic moments, and our hearts go out to the citizens of Ukraine who have fallen into this situation without injustice on their part,” Bennett said.
Read more here.
5:00 a.m., Feb. 24: Israel condemns Russia’s assault on Ukraine
- Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid broke his country’s silence on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on Thursday, calling the attack “a serious violation of the international order.”
- Analysts have speculated that Russia’s military leverage in Syria, where the Kremlin has turned a blind eye to Israeli airstrikes against Iran-backed militias, may lessen Tel Aviv’s response to Moscow’s aggression in Europe.
Read our coverage here.
4:30 a.m., Feb. 24: All eyes on Gulf as oil, gas prices surge
- Brent crude oil broke $105 per barrel on Thursday after Russia launched attacks across Ukraine.
- Futures for gas delivered in the Netherlands, a benchmark for European prices, jumped 30% today.
- The Biden administration approached Qatar earlier this month about supplying gas to Europe amid an expected decline in Russian supplies. Doha’s energy minister suggested yesterday that his country could not adequately cover the deficit.
2:30 a.m., Feb. 24: Ukraine calls on Turkey to close straits to Black Sea
- Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, called on Ankara to close the straits to the Black Sea to Russian ships.
- Russia has more than 10 naval landing craft in the Black Sea and landed troops on Ukraine’s southern coast last night, Pentagon officials said.
- Ankara can close the straits in wartime under the 1936 Montreux Convention.