OPINION -- I recently had the opportunity to take part in a panel discussion on geopolitical issues at the Kyiv Security Forum in Kyiv. One of the key issues covered by the panel was the status of Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine and continued Western support for Ukraine. This is a topic I have addressed publicly many times since retiring from the CIA during public and private speaking engagements, podcasts, and various news shows. What I stated in Kyiv was no different than what I have argued in the past – the “West”, led by the U.S., should continue to provide Ukraine with the military, economic, diplomatic, political and morale support needed to continue facing down Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his unjustified war against Ukraine. Ukraine is fighting for its existence, and we need to stand with the Ukrainians as they defend their right to exist. We should never allow Putin, or any other foreign leader, to dictate who has the right to “be”. Thankfully, none of the other panelists disagreed with this point of view. We need to help the Ukrainians defend themselves against foreign aggression and tyranny.
But what was surprising was to hear one of my fellow panelists criticize President Donald Trump and his administration for initiating military operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) (Operation “Epic Fury”) in late February 2026. My fellow panelist argued that it was a mistake for the U.S. to start “Epic Fury” because the operation was drawing off resources that should be directed to supporting Ukraine and resulted in the closure of the “Strait of Hormuz”, the rise in energy prices and a decision by the White House to temporarily end sanctions against “Shadow Fleet” tankers that were already at sea carrying Russian oil.
From my optic, some of the statements made against “Epic Fury” have a basis of fact. For example, it is clear that in the run up to “Epic Fury” the U.S. Military directed its limited group of air defense resources to the Middle East to protect U.S. and allied interests given the rising risks of a military confrontation with Iran. The closing of the Strait of Hormuz” has led to a rise in energy prices at a time when the Russian economy was struggling under the pressure of U.S. and European Union (EU) sanctions and the increasingly effective use of “deep strikes” by the Ukrainians against Russia’s energy infrastructure. But the conflict in the Gulf has not resulted in a significant increase in revenue for the Russian State budget and, as one Ukrainian Air Defense officer recently told me, U.S. and Israeli operations targeting Iran’s defense production capacity and armed forces have limited Tehran’s ability to provide Russia with weapon systems and equipment that Moscow had been using before February 2026 to sustain air attacks against Ukraine. Unfortunately, while some argue that the Iran conflict has also distracted the White House from pursuing peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, negotiations have continued but have made little progress, not because of the Iran issue, but because the Russians continue to take a maximalist stance vis a vis talks and Putin has shown little real interest in ending his war against Ukraine.
But more than anything, I am always surprised when I hear Americans and Europeans argue that the operation against Tehran is a mistake, while in the same breath, they demand continued support for Ukraine. For me, as stated above, the U.S. has a responsibility to help Ukraine protect its existence from the terror it faces from Moscow. At the same time, Washington and Brussels also have a responsibility to help Israel defend itself against Putin’s allies in Tehran, who have been threatening to destroy the State of Israel since seizing power in Iran in 1979? Helping Ukraine is the right thing to do. So is helping Israel defend itself against the threat of annihilation.
Those arguing against military operations in Iran view the military conflict with the Islamic Republic as being separate and isolated from our conflict with Russia, but that is not the case. The regimes in Moscow and Tehran formed a strategic alliance against the U.S. and its allies years ago and have both been working to undermine Western interests for years. Iran has been supplying Russia’s war machine with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), ballistic missiles, munitions and spare parts since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In turn, Russia has been providing the Iranians and their proxies with weapons systems, advanced technology, diplomatic and political support for years. Importantly, the Russians have also been providing Tehran with direct intelligence support, including targeting data on U.S. forces in the Middle East. Ukraine’s fight for its survival and the U.S. – Israel operations against the IRI are not two separate “wars”, but are two fronts in one common war. The demise of Putin’s allies in Tehran will be a victory for Ukraine. Ukraine’s defeat of Russia will be a victory for the U.S. and collective West, including Israel.
I cannot agree with those who attack President Trump for finally responding to Iranian threats against the U.S. and its allies with force. That action was long overdue and, while the President gave the Iranian’s a year to try to negotiate a resolution to the serious differences we had with the Islamic Republic, when those efforts failed, President Trump should be given credit for showing the type of resolve on Iran that his predecessors failed to show for far too long. It is likely that the U.S. President understood that in making the decision to start “Epic Fury”, he recognized that this decision would be attacked by his opponents and unpopular with many of his supporters, especially the “isolationist camp” in the Republican Party. Making the decision in advance of mid-term elections would be difficult for any President and President Trump deserves credit for taking a principled stand in support of U.S. and allied interests.
Unfortunately, while the President is “right” on Iran, since returning to the Oval Office he has been wrong on Russia. Like the Iranians, he gave Putin over a year to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine and contrary to the Kremlin’s ongoing efforts to blame Kyiv for the failure of those negotiations, it is Moscow that has refused to make any concessions needed to end the fighting. Instead, he has consistently tried to manipulate the President and his inner circle and lied to the White House about who started the war and who is standing in the way of peace.
In October 2025, President Trump appeared to have reached his limit with Putin’s game playing when he canceled a planned summit with Putin in Budapest and slapped new sanctions on Russia’s major energy companies. In a clear sign of desperation, Putin panicked and immediately sent his “American Whisperer” Kirill Dmitriyev to the U.S. to try to convince Trump’s inner circle that Putin was ready to negotiate. The Kremlin then executed an effective covert influence operation by making sure some aspects of Dmitriyev’s discussions with U.S. officials were leaked to the media, undermining U.S. credibility, driving a wedge between Washington and its European partners and creating the false impression that the U.S. and Russia were in “cahoots” and ready to sell out Ukraine in order to secure potentially lucrative business deals in Russia in the future.
President Trump has criticized his predecessors for allowing Putin to “outplay” them. To date, he allows Putin to do the same to him. But it is not too late for Trump to reverse that trend and demonstrate to the world that he will not be outsmarted by Putin. The President should sign the bipartisan sanctions package prepared by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham which would send a powerful message to the Kremlin that the U.S. is no longer willing to tolerate Putin’s stalling on negotiations and place enormous additional pressure on Putin to agree to make necessary concessions needed to end the war.
President Trump can send a strong message to Kyiv and other U.S. allies that the U.S. Administration will not be deceived or manipulated by the Kremlin and it is ready to show the same resolve towards Moscow that it is showing on Iran. It will also send a message to America’s enemies that the U.S. will take a consistent stand against those countries that threaten the U.S. and its allies. This message not only needs to be heard in Moscow, but should also be heard in Pyongyang, Beijing and any other capital where a dictator or autocratic regime is considering attacking one of America’s allies.
All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the US Government. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying US Government authentication of information or endorsement of the author’s views.”
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