The Russian leader blames the explosion of violence on failed US Middle East policy because it ignored the aspirations of the Palestinians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed concern over the “catastrophic increase” in the number of civilians killed in Israel and the Gaza Strip during days of fighting between Hamas and the Israeli military.
The Russian leader on Tuesday also criticized Washington’s policies in the Middle East, which he said had failed because it did not take into account the needs of Palestinians.
Putin, whose military has been accused of killing thousands of civilians since last year’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, expressed concern for civilians killed in Israel and Gaza in a phone call with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said in a statement explanation with .
“The focus was on the sharply deteriorating situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone,” the Kremlin said of the leaders’ discussion.
“Deep concern has been expressed about the continued escalation of violence and the catastrophic increase in the number of civilian casualties,” the Kremlin said.
The two leaders reiterated the need for an “immediate ceasefire” and “the resumption of the negotiation process,” the Kremlin added, saying Erdogan noted that it was “regrettable to target civilian facilities and that Turkey is doing so.” “I don’t welcome actions.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Putin called the creation of a Palestinian state “necessary” and blamed US policy in the region for the recent explosion of violence.
“I think many people will agree with me that this is a vivid example of the failure of US policy in the Middle East,” Putin said Tuesday at the start of a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani.
Putin said Washington was trying to “monopolize” efforts for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and he accused the US of not bothering to find mutually acceptable compromises and instead coming up with its own ideas for a solution to the conflict.
The US had ignored the interests of the Palestinians, including their need for their own independent state.
💬 President Putin: Unfortunately, we are seeing a strong escalation of the situation in the #Middle East.
☝️ This is an example of failed US policy in the region. An attempt was made to monopolize the settlement process, but the aim was not to find compromises acceptable to both sides. pic.twitter.com/gpqNeXnH0B
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) October 10, 2023
Putin did not mention Russia’s role in the Middle East peace process. Along with the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, Moscow has been part of a “quartet” of powers since 2002 tasked with helping broker Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin was in contact with both warring parties in Israel and Gaza and would try to play a role in resolving the conflict. Peskov did not specify how this would be achieved.
“We intend to continue to make efforts and play our role in providing assistance in finding ways to reach an agreement,” he said.
Since the latest crisis erupted, the Kremlin has tried to appear impartial and emphasize its ties with both Israelis and Palestinians.
Moscow has longstanding ties with the Palestinians, including Hamas, which sent a delegation to Moscow in March. But it also has “many similarities” with Israel, including the fact that many Israelis are former Russian citizens, Peskov said.
Peskov also warned that the current violence was “more than worrying.”
“It has the potential to be dangerous if it grows and spills over from the current zone of Arab-Israeli conflict,” he said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was ready to contribute to an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians by coordinating regional actors.
“We are in close contact with the leading regional actors, whose role in stabilizing the situation and creating conditions for the establishment of a direct Palestinian-Israeli dialogue is indispensable,” said ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.