Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern about the “catastrophic increase” in civilian deaths in Israel and the Gaza Strip during days of fighting between Hamas and the Israeli military.
The Russian leader on Tuesday also took aim at Washington’s Middle East policy, which he said failed because it failed to take into account the needs of the Palestinians.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin, whose troops have been accused of killing thousands of civilians since a sweeping invasion of Ukraine last year, expressed in a phone call with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his concern for civilians being killed in Israel and Gaza.
“The focus was on the sharply deteriorating situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone,” the Kremlin said of the leaders’ discussions.
“There is deep concern about the continued escalation of violence and the catastrophic increase in civilian casualties,” the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin added that the two leaders reiterated the need for an “immediate ceasefire” and “resumption of the negotiation process” and said Erdogan noted that “the targeting of civilian facilities is regrettable and Turkey does not welcome such actions.”
Putin expresses concern over ‘catastrophic’ civilian deaths in Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Earlier on Tuesday, Putin called the establishment of a Palestinian state “necessary” and blamed the recent outbreak of violence on U.S. policies in the region.
“I think many people will agree with me that this is a vivid example of the failure of U.S. policy in the Middle East,” Putin said at the start of a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani on Tuesday.
Putin said Washington was trying to “monopolize” peace-making efforts between Israel and the Palestinians, accusing the United States of disdainfully seeking compromises acceptable to both sides and instead pushing its own ideas for resolving the conflict.
The United States has ignored the interests of the Palestinians, including their need for an independent state.
Putin made no mention of Russia’s role in the Middle East peace process, in which Moscow, along with the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, has formed the “Quad” responsible for helping mediate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks since 2002.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin was in contact with both Israel and Gaza’s warring sides and would seek to play a role in resolving the conflict, without specifying how that would be achieved.
“We intend to continue working, playing our role, providing assistance and finding solutions,” Peskov said.
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Since the latest crisis began, the Kremlin has tried to appear indifferent, emphasizing its ties to both Israelis and Palestinians.
Moscow has long-standing ties with the Palestinians, including Hamas, which sent a delegation to Moscow in March, but Peskov said it also had “a lot in common” with Israel, including that many Israelis is a former Russian citizen.
Peskov also warned that the current violence was “more than worrying”.
“It has the potential to expand and spread from the current areas of the Arab-Israeli conflict, thereby posing dangers,” Peskov said.
Russia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday it was ready to help reach reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians by coordinating regional actors.
“We are in close contact with the main regional actors, who play an indispensable role in stabilizing the situation and creating conditions for the establishment of direct dialogue between Palestine and Israel,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, according to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency. .”
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2023-10-11 11:19:17
