Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the US for the war that erupted after Hamas, on Saturday, launched a surprise attack using missiles on Israel. On Tuesday, he said that this was proof of the failure of US policy in the Middle East. Putin, talking to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, who is currently visiting Russia, said, Washington had tried to monopolise the search for a settlement in the region.
Putin also said it was necessary to "implement the decisions of the UN Security Council on the creation of an independent sovereign Palestinian state," and that the US wasn't taking into consideration the fundamental interests of the Palestinian people.
Putin also voiced concern over the “catastrophic increase” in the number of civilians killed. Putin's army has been accused of killing thousands of civilians in Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion on the country in February 2022.
The Kremlin said that in the recent conversation between Egypt President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the “emphasis was placed on the sharply worsening situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone”.
The two leaders reiterated the need for “an immediate ceasefire” and for “the resumption of the negotiation process“, the Kremlin added, according to an Al Jazeera report.
Reportedly, Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin was in touch with both sides of the conflict and would seek to help resolve the issue. In the meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accused Putin of siding with Hamas in the ongoing war.
“We are certain that Russia is supporting, in one way or another, Hamas operations,” Zelensky said in an interview with the France 2 television channel on Tuesday. “The current crisis… bears witness to the fact that Russia really is seeking to carry out destabilizing actions all over the world,” AFP reported.
Zelenskyy is currently at NATO for meetings with alliance defence ministers to further drum up support for Ukraine's fight against Russia.
"It's very important that there are priorities. There are air defence systems. These are not just basic words. These are very concrete things and we need them," Zelenskyy said on arrival, insisting that long-range missiles were just as essential. He also called for more ammunition, making for the three types of military aid he was looking for.
Zelenskyy also warned, however, that “international attention risks turning away from Ukraine, and “that will have consequences.”
--With PTI inputs