Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas Will Fly To Moscow To Meet President Putin, What To Discuss?

Russian President Putin with Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin ru)

JAKARTA - A senior Russian diplomat said on Thursday that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas would soon fly to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

"I can say he (Abbas) will soon arrive for an official visit in Moscow, talks with Vladimir (Putin) will be held here," said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also the President's Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa. reported TASS October 26.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to say exactly when the Palestinian leader would arrive in Moscow.

"We will announce the date (of Abbas's visit) in due course," Peskov said, predicting the two leaders would mainly discuss the current situation in the Middle East.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned the Israel-Hamas conflict could spread far beyond the Middle East, criticizing the collective punishment of innocent women, children and the elderly in Gaza.

President Putin said he had told other world leaders by telephone that if this was not done, there was a risk of a bigger fire.

"Our task today, our main task, is to stop the bloodshed and violence," President Putin said, according to a transcript of the Kremlin meeting, as quoted by Reuters.

"Otherwise, the escalation of this crisis will have very dangerous and destructive consequences. And not only in the Middle East region. This crisis could spread beyond the borders of the Middle East," President Putin warned.

President Putin expressed his condolences to the families of Israelis and other citizens killed or injured by Hamas in the bloody attack on October 7.

However, he emphasized that he thought Israel was wrong because it continued to bomb Gaza in retaliation for the massacre and hostage-taking of Israeli citizens by Hamas.

"It is also clear to us that innocent people should not be held responsible for crimes committed by others," President Putin explained.

"The fight against terrorism cannot be fought on the well-known principle of collective responsibility when the elderly, women, children, entire families and hundreds of thousands of people are left without shelter, food, water, electricity and medical care," he stressed.

Moscow, he added, continues to advocate a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli issue, which he says is the only way to achieve a long-term settlement.