Putin met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The main thing

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas on January 22. The main topics of discussion were the situation in the Gaza Strip and Palestine, as well as the initiative of US President Donald Trump to create a "Peace Council". The main quotes of the Russian leader are in the Izvestia article.

On relations between Russia and Palestine

At a meeting with Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin, Putin noted that the countries are building bilateral relations of special quality, which have deep roots.

He also said that relations between Russia and Palestine are developing, despite all the difficulties in the Middle East region.

In addition, the Russian leader pointed to Russia's work on humanitarian projects: "We continue to work in the humanitarian field, in particular, training personnel for Palestine, this year 150 young people will study at universities in Russia."

Putin also said that Russia provided humanitarian assistance during the most difficult times of the crisis in Gaza. He added that over 800 tons of cargo were shipped there.

The Russian President pointed to the trend towards an increase in trade between Russia and Palestine.

"Of course, our trade turnover is still modest in absolute terms, but still the upward trend is obvious: the trade turnover has tripled," Putin said.

About the settlement in the Middle East

Putin confirmed that Russia is committed to a settlement in the Middle East.

"Our attitude towards the issues of Palestine and the settlement in the Middle East is principled and non—opportunistic," he stressed.

The Russian President noted that only the formation and full-fledged functioning of a Palestinian state can lead to a settlement in the Middle East.

About frozen assets of the Russian Federation

At a meeting in the Kremlin, Putin reiterated that Russia is ready to send $1 billion to support the Palestinian people within the framework of the Peace Council.

"You may have heard that we are ready to send $1 billion to this new structure, the Peace Council, primarily and mainly in order to support the Palestinian people, direct these funds to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and generally to solve the problems of Palestine. But, as I said, of the funds that were frozen in the United States under the previous administration, I think this is quite possible. We have discussed such options before with representatives of the American administration, and a meeting and conversation on this topic is planned today in Moscow," Putin said.

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Context

On January 16, Trump announced the formation of a "Peace Council" that would deal with the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. On the 21st, the American invited Putin to join the structure, saying that he did so because he wanted to see people with power and control in the organization.

As Trump himself said, the goal of the "Peace Council" is to bring together all the influential leaders of the world to discuss global issues together.

On January 21, during a meeting with members of the Russian Security Council, Putin confirmed that the United States had extended an invitation to Russia to join the Peace Council and added that Russia had always supported and supported any efforts aimed at strengthening international stability. According to Putin, the Russian Foreign Ministry has already been instructed to study the documents on the "Peace Council", as well as consult with Russia's strategic partners on this issue. After that, it will be possible to respond to the invitation, he added.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.