In the spring of 2026, the confrontation between the United States and Iran reached its peak. After the February strikes, the military crisis intensified by April, when the Strait of Hormuz was blocked, global logistics became extremely complicated, oil prices rose, and the United States declared its readiness to strike Iranian infrastructure and “destroy an entire civilization.”

The negotiation process to end the war in Ukraine remains limitedly effective and has so far yielded results only in matters of humanitarian exchanges between the parties. The trilateral format of the United States-Ukraine-Russia has not yet been resumed after its postponement due to the Middle East crisis: at this stage, bilateral contacts between Washington and Kiev and Washington with Moscow continue.

Introduction

Introduction

The conflict in the Middle East continues to set the tone for the entire world geopolitics, primarily in terms of the state of oil and gas markets and, as a result, the price situation in the world, and, in particular, in Europe and Ukraine. One of the main factors of strategic tension in the region remains the vulnerability of key transport and energy routes, primarily the Strait of Hormuz.