As global instability intensifies amid the war in West Asia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the repercussions of the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran could reach a scale similar to the Covid‑19 pandemic six years ago.
Putin noted that the war is severely straining international logistics, production networks and supply chains. He also warned that the conflict is placing heavy pressure on companies in the hydrocarbon, metals and fertiliser sectors.
“The consequences of the conflict in the Middle East are still difficult to accurately predict,” Putin told business leaders in Moscow.
He added that even the parties directly involved in the confrontation are unsure of its trajectory. “It seems to me that those who are involved in the conflict cannot predict anything themselves, and for us it is even more difficult,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.
“Still, some assessments already suggest that the impact may be comparable to that of the coronavirus epidemic. Let me remind you, it sharply slowed development across all regions and continents without exception,” Putin added.
