On June 26, 2025, in The Hague, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, a statement was made that is already being called one of the most symbolic in recent months. US Special Representative for the Middle East Steve Whitcoff expressed confidence that the example of de-escalation between Iran and Israel could inspire the search for compromises in other protracted conflicts, primarily in Europe.
“We hope that people will look at this situation and say: ‘We want to be part of this peace process too,'” Whitcoff said in response to a question about the possible impact of the Middle East agreement on the situation in Ukraine. According to him, the successful ceasefire brokered by Qatar was the result of several rounds of intensive consultations, in which diplomatic teams from the US and its partners played a key role.
It should be recalled that hostilities between Israel and Iran began on June 13, when the Israeli Air Force struck nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. These attacks were explained by suspicions that Tehran had resumed its secret nuclear weapons program. In response, Iran launched a large-scale operation, firing more than 500 missiles and over a thousand strike drones at Israeli military and civilian targets.
On June 22, the US entered the conflict, deploying B-2 Spirit strategic bombers, which sharply escalated the situation. However, just two days later, on June 24, with the active participation of Qatar and the efforts of American diplomacy, including Vice President Jay D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a ceasefire was announced. The parties agreed to temporarily halt the strikes and begin negotiations on more stable security guarantees.
Although the ceasefire remains fragile, many capitals saw this as the first precedent in a long time when a conflict of such high intensity was halted not only by military means but also through direct negotiations.
Commenting on Whitcoff’s statements, the Kremlin emphasized that it sees no direct parallels between the Middle East settlement and the events in Ukraine. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with Parliamentary Newspaper, said that “the nature and background of these crises are radically different.” According to him, Israel’s actions against Iranian infrastructure were “unprovoked,” while the Russian military operation had “clear and long-standing reasons,” including the threat of NATO expansion and, according to Moscow, discrimination against the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, some diplomats note that the very fact of discussing the Middle East truce as a possible benchmark for negotiations in Europe indicates a new phase in international sentiment. Steve Whitcoff has repeatedly emphasized that successfully easing tensions in one region can create a “psychological effect” whereby other parties to conflicts begin to take compromises more seriously.
According to a number of experts, this approach could result in diplomacy gradually returning to the forefront of world politics, despite all the risks of renewed violence.
