Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed fears about the “catastrophic increase” in the number of civilians killed in Israel and the Gaza Strip, amid several days of fighting between Hamas and the Israeli army.
The Russian leader on Tuesday also took aim at Washington’s policy in the Middle East, which he said had failed to take into account the wishes of the Palestinians.
Putin, whose military has been accused of killing thousands of civilians since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, expressed fear for civilians killed in Israel and Gaza in a call with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said in a statement.
“The focus is on the sharp deterioration of the situation in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the Kremlin said of the leaders’ conversation.
“Deep fear has been expressed about the continued escalation of violence and the catastrophic accumulation of civilian casualties,” the Kremlin said.
The two leaders reiterated the desire for an “immediate ceasefire” and “the resumption of the negotiation process,” the Kremlin added, adding that Erdogan found it “regrettable to attack civilian facilities and that Turkey welcomes such acts. “
Earlier on Tuesday, Putin claimed the creation of a Palestinian state was “necessary” and blamed the new outbreak of violence on U. S. policy in the region.
“I think many people will agree with me that this is a striking example of the failure of American 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 had tried to “monopolize” efforts to forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and accused the United States of not seeking appropriate compromises for either side but pushing its own concepts for a solution to the conflict.
The U. S. has ignored the interests of the Palestinians, adding to its desire for its own independent state.
☝️ This is an example of the failure of U. S. policy in the region. It has tried to monopolize the agreement process, but has failed to find compromises that are appropriate for both partes. pic. twitter. com/gpqNeXnH0B
– MFA Russia ?? (@mfa_russia) October 10, 2023
Putin made no mention of 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 mediate peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the Kremlin is in contact with either side in conflict in Israel and Gaza and will 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 part in terms of offering assistance in finding tactics to reach an agreement,” he said.
Since the outbreak of the most recent crisis, the Kremlin has tried to appear impartial, emphasizing its relations with Israelis and Palestinians.
Moscow has long-standing ties with the Palestinians, Hamas, which sent a delegation to Moscow in March. But it also has “a lot in common” with Israel, the fact that many Israelis are former Russian citizens, Peskov said.
Peskov also warned that the existing violence “is more than worrying. “
“It can simply be detrimental by expanding and expanding from the existing domain of the Arab-Israeli conflict,” he said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday declared itself in a position to contribute to an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians through the coordination of regional actors.
“We are in close contact with the main regional actors, whose role in stabilizing the scenario and creating situations for the status quo of a direct Palestinian-Israeli discussion is indispensable,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to Russia’s official TASS news agency. .