Russian President, Vladimir Putin has stated that although Russia is currently occupied with the special military operation in Ukraine, it is still paying attention to what is going on in the Middle East.
Putin said this in a meeting with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, who is in Moscow for an official visit.
“Everyone knows that today, unfortunately, Russia has to defend its interests, defend its people with the use of weapons. But what is happening in the Middle East, in Palestine, we are definitely paying attention to.”
Vladimir Putin
Putin noted that even though he and Abbas have not seen each other for two years, they are we in constant contact.
“Certainly, we are following the humanitarian disaster facing Palestine with great sorrow and concern,” he added.
“First of all, we are certainly concerned about civilian fatalities. According to the United Nations, 40,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children,” he said.
Also, Putin stressed that Russia is doing everything to support the Palestinian people.
“As you know, we have sent 700 metric tons of various cargo [to Palestine]; and we are doing our best to use every opportunity to support the Palestinians.”
Vladimir Putin
The Palestinian leader’s visit to Moscow was planned for November 15, 2023, though it was postponed at the request of the Palestinian side.
Palestinian Ambassador to Moscow, Abdel Hafiz Nofal said earlier that the Palestine-Israeli conflict would be the main subject of discussion.
In particular, it is planned to discuss Russia’s role and what can be done, he said, adding that the situation in Palestine was very difficult, while Russia was a close country and the sides needed consultation.
In addition to exchanging views on the situation in the Middle East in light of the current escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, the leaders are expected to discuss pressing issues of bilateral cooperation.
Since the war in the Gaza Strip broke out in October 2023, Putin has held three telephone conversations with Abbas to discuss the situation in the region.
Abbas last visited Russia on November 23, 2021 when he held talks with Putin in Sochi, and the two leaders last met in person at the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia on October 13, 2022.
Abbas’ Visit Unlikely To Revive Israel-Hamas Talks
According to Ibragim Ibragimov, a Researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Abbas’ visit to Russia will hardly help revive talks between Hamas and Israel.
He explained that Moscow has maintained a wait-and-see approach toward the ongoing conflict and has not been a proactive participant of the Palestinian settlement of late.
“The Russian authorities doubt their moves on the Palestinian track will be worth the effort or resources, as the Gaza war involves too many external actors already. Besides, Israel has not sought Russian mediation.”
Ibragim Ibragimov
Nonetheless, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) Expert, Kirill Semyonov expressed belief that Putin and Abbas will discuss potential steps toward overcoming the rift between Hamas and the Palestinian nationalist political party Fatah, and they will likely broach the subject of developing cooperation between Russia and Palestine.
The head of media and communications in the Turkish presidency, Fahrettin Altun, announced earlier that following talks in the Russian capital, Abbas will travel to Turkey on August 14, 2024, for a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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