Postponement of the Russia-Arab Summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the 9th (local time) that he hopes U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip will be realized.
According to TASS and RIA Novosti, President Putin stated at the Russia-Central Asia Summit held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, that "we sincerely hope the U.S. President's initiative will be implemented in practice."
President Putin said, "Russia has always maintained that the problems in the Middle East can only be resolved through political and diplomatic means," adding, "We are ready to support all efforts to stop the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip and bring peace to the region."
He added that Russia expressed its support almost immediately when President Trump announced his peace initiative for the Gaza Strip on the 29th of last month.
President Putin emphasized, "We believe that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is a key prerequisite for long-term stability and for resolving all issues surrounding this difficult situation." He also explained that this position has been maintained since the Soviet era.
He said that Russia continues to maintain contact with Israel, and noted that he has received signals that Israel is not interested in confrontation with Iran and wishes for a peaceful resolution.
Earlier, the Kremlin welcomed the agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas on the first phase of a ceasefire to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing that day, "Clearly, we support such efforts. We are generally satisfied with the fact that a ceasefire has already been achieved in Gaza. All such efforts are welcome." He added, "We hope that the agreement signed today will be followed by actions to implement the agreements reached."
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in a statement, "We welcome such agreements made possible by the ongoing work of mediators from Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, and the United States," and described it as a diplomatic effort deserving high praise. She emphasized, "For us, it is fundamentally important to end the suffering of civilians," and urged all parties to fulfill their obligations in the first and subsequent phases of the agreement.
With the implementation of the Gaza war ceasefire agreement underway, the first Russia-Arab Summit, which was scheduled to be held in Moscow on the 15th, has been postponed.
The Kremlin announced that President Putin had a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, who is the chair of the Arab League Summit, and agreed that it would be preferable to postpone the Russia-Arab Summit. The Kremlin explained, "Given that President Trump's normalization plan for the Gaza Strip has begun to be implemented in earnest, it was agreed that it would be difficult for several Arab leaders to travel directly to Moscow at this time."
President Trump said at a Cabinet meeting at the White House that day that 20 Israeli hostages held by Hamas would be released on the 13th or 14th.
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