Putin blames US for Middle East crisis, advocates two-State solution

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticised the United States for its role in the ongoing Middle East crisis, triggered by the surprise Hamas attack in southern Israel, RT reported.

Putin stated, "I believe many would agree with me that it is a glaring example of the failures of the US Middle East policies. They tried to monopolize the peace settlement but unfortunately paid no attention to searching for compromises that would be acceptable for both parties," according to RT.

RT is a Russian state-controlled international news television network funded by the Russian government.

Putin also expressed concern about Washington's pressure on both sides, suggesting it was an attempt to impose "unilateral solutions" without considering the core interests of the Palestinian people, including the creation of an independent Palestinian nation-state as outlined in UN Security Council resolutions.

The US "never took into account the core interests of the Palestinian people," Putin claimed.

Putin's remarks came during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani in Moscow. He also emphasised the need to prioritise minimising harm to civilians on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as reported by RT.

Senior Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, have also blamed the US for the renewed hostilities. Lavrov proposed that the quartet of Middle East mediators, which includes the US, Russia, the EU, and the UN, should take a leading role in peace talks, suggesting that the US had sidelined this mechanism to "monopolise" its own interests.

Hamas, based in Gaza, launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory, leading to a military response from Israel with the goal of obliterating Hamas.

While the US has pledged military support for Israel and called on other nations to condemn Hamas, Moscow has condemned all violence against civilians, regardless of the responsible party, and has advocated for a two-state solution as the path to genuine reconciliation, RT reported.