Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday reiterated his support for a “full-fledged Palestinian state” amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas militants in Gaza.
On Tuesday, the independent Russian news site The Moscow Times, as well as the Kremlin-operated outlet Tass, reported that Putin had a meeting with Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas where he said, “We believe that in order to ensure lasting, reliable and stable peace in the region, it’s necessary to…create a full-fledged Palestinian state.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been engaged in a war with Hamas in Gaza after the militant group attacked Israel, which has also sparked other conflicts throughout the Middle East. Last month, Hamas and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran after attending the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president. (Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination.)
“Of course, we are watching the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Palestine with great pain and concern. For our part, we are doing everything to support the Palestinian people,” Putin said to Abbas during their Tuesday meeting. “We have sent about 700 tons of various types of cargo.”
In response to Putin’s remarks, Abbas reportedly said, “The U.N., due to pressure from the U.S., has failed in its mission to give one solution, to adopt one resolution that would implement, ensure the implementation of the rights of the Palestinian people.”
Putin has tried to position Russia as neutral in the war, but he has previously spoke of supporting the creation of a Palestinian state.
When the Russian leader first publicly addressed the conflict in Gaza in October, he appeared to place blame on the U.S.
“I think many will agree with me that this is a clear example of the failure of U.S. policy in the Middle East,” Putin said at a Kremlin meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani.
Putin noted that the U.S. was not “taking into account the fundamental interests of the Palestinian people,” such as “the need to implement the decision of the U.N. Security Council on the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state.”
Moscow also later condemned the killing of Haniyeh. Following the Hamas leader’s death, Russia’s deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov issued a warning of violence.
“This is all very bad. This is an absolutely unacceptable political assassination, and it will lead to a further escalation of tensions,” he said, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
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