This article by “Corriere della Sera” analyzes Vladimir Putin’s increasingly active role in international diplomacy, amid tensions in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
In the final analysis, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is mentioned by Vladimir Putin as a kind of reference for “moral authority,” at a time when the Russian president seeks to present himself as a moderate and balanced leader. Quoting the dissident writer, Putin addresses parliamentarians, emphasizing that power “is neither a prize nor food for personal ambitions.” This rhetoric comes at a time when elections in Russia are approaching and the Kremlin is intensifying political and diplomatic activities.
On the eve of the elections scheduled for September 18-20, Putin is increasingly emerging as a figure of stability, while the harsher discourse of war and international confrontation is left to his political allies and propaganda apparatus.
In parallel, he has carried out a series of engagements in St. Petersburg, officially for institutional and sporting matters, but also with personal symbolic elements, such as visits to the places where he grew up and meetings with old associates. In the same context, he also met with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, who then continued his journey to Islamabad for related talks with representatives of Donald Trump.
This meeting in St. Petersburg is not merely ceremonial.
It marks a resumption of Putin’s direct diplomatic activity and his attempt to play a mediating role in current conflicts, balancing between the traditional alliance with Iran and the interest in maintaining channels of communication with the United States. In the background is also the attempt to influence international negotiations and the dynamics of the war in Ukraine, especially regarding the Donbas region.
Putin’s statements have maintained a cautious and neutral tone, without direct criticism of the US or Israel, presenting themselves as calls for regional peace and stability. He has stressed Russia’s readiness to assist in any mediation process, presenting the conflict as an issue that requires a quick and negotiated solution.
On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia is ready to offer any form of diplomatic assistance that is acceptable to the parties. According to him, escalating the conflict is not in the interests of either Iran, the Gulf countries, or the global economy.
However, behind the scenes, Russia aims to regain its international influence through a mediating role, emerging from the relative isolation of recent years. This position is also linked to its complicated relations with the United States, where the Kremlin sees the American president as an important factor, but with increasingly unstable influence due to domestic political developments in the United States.
At the same time, signals from Moscow also indicate a decrease in the visibility of symbolic military activities, including the reduction of May 9 ceremonies, which reflects a more cautious and less triumphalist climate within Russia, at a time when the overall geopolitical situation remains tense.