When Israel first started bombing Iran, many in Russia saw it as an opportunity, a means of drawing support and attention away from Ukraine.

This is the second time President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have spoken on the phone this month.

The deadly fighting between Israel and Iran is unlikely to bring Moscow closer to ending its invasion of Ukraine, and there are several ways it could play into Russia’s hands. But they may not move the dial dramatically in a war that seems destined to continue for months to come,