Even before Israel launched its wave of strikes on Iran last Friday, Putin was offering to help secure a deal between Iran and the United States over Tehran's nuclear programme. But for many the idea of Putin playing peacemaker, more than three years into his invasion of Ukraine is a worrying prospect.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned on Wednesday that direct U.S. military assistance to Israel could radically destabilise the situation in the Middle East, where an air war between Iran and Israel has raged for six days.

Moscow presents itself as Tehran's ally, but its real ambition may be to turn Middle East chaos into a global diplomatic windfall.