MOSCOW, March 6 (Reuters) - The city of Moscow, Russia's wealthiest federal unit, will cut its large investment programme for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, a sign of deteriorating regional finances in the fifth year of the conflict in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Finland's plan to lift ‌a ban on hosting nuclear arms raised ‌tensions in Europe and posed a potential threat to Russia, to ​which Moscow would respond if such a deployment took place.

Moscow accused the US and Israel of baiting Iran into striking Gulf allies to force them into a wider conflict. Russian President Putin offered to relay Arab concerns to Tehran.

The conflict in Iran may give Moscow a short-term boost economically and in Ukraine. But it has also shown the limits of Russia’s partnerships.

Russia is reportedly sharing intelligence on US military assets in the Middle East with Iran, potentially aiding Tehran's targeting of American forces. This alleged assistance, detailed by officials,

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of trying to "disrupt the negotiation process" searching for an end to the war.

Cooperation between Russia and Iran has given Iran the means and cover to act aggressively. Even as Moscow's support has been revealed as hollow, it still drives action.

A Russian-flagged liquified natural gas (LNG) tanker, the Arctic Metagaz, has reportedly caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea, multiple media outlets reported on March 3.