The decisive contribution to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should come from Middle Eastern countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated during a TASS-organized meeting with the heads of world news agencies.
“I believe the decisive contribution should still be made by the countries of the region and organizations such as the Islamic Conference and the Arab League,” Putin said in response to a question about the prospects for settling the conflict.
He suggested that neighboring countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf nations, and Turkey, as key players, could participate in addressing the issue. "Of course, the United States. We are not taking an extremist position that the United States should be excluded. Why? God forbid, it's impossible. And Israel, of course,” Putin added.
Putin emphasized the importance of finding a balanced approach. “I think it should be done taking into account the mood in American and Israeli societies and, even more so, the mood in the Islamic and Arab world,” he stressed.
He explained that Moscow is trying to influence events in the region, including humanitarian efforts. Russia has played a role in the release of several hostages with Russian roots and continues to work with partners with whom it has stable, trusting relations developed over decades.
“But we need to work together; we should not monopolize this work. Monopolization is harmful because the monopolist inevitably takes the position of one party, and everything falls apart,” Putin pointed out. He noted that Russia has proposed ceasefire initiatives in the UN Security Council, but the US has vetoed them. “If we worked in solidarity and negotiated, that would be the right scenario. So far, we have not succeeded,” the president explained. “If we stopped mutual ‘vetoing’ and tried to negotiate based on a genuine interest in solving the problem, that would probably be the way to resolve it,” he concluded.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS