Even though he has his hands full with the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he would be willing to act as a mediator to bring a cease-fire to the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.
"What matters now is to stop the bloodshed," Putin said at a summit in Kyrgyzstan, according to The Moscow Times, a news outlet independent of the Russian government. "Russia is ready to coordinate with all constructive partners."
Putin's offer to mediate the crisis comes days after Iraq Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani appealed for his assistance in ending Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, the Times reported.
Israel responded to airstrikes after Hamas' terrorist attack Saturday that left more than 1,300 Israelis dead. Israel is set to launch a ground assault in the northern part of Gaza to root out Hamas terrorists and rescue hostages. On Friday, it warned hundreds of thousands to evacuate Gaza City as it prepares for the assault.
Putin said a ground attack would lead to "serious consequences for all sides."
"And most importantly, the civilian casualties will be absolutely unacceptable. Now the main thing is to stop the bloodshed," he said, according to Reuters.
The Kremlin has said it was in contact with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as it sought to help bring an end to the hostilities. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov held separate conversations in Moscow on Friday with the ambassadors of Israel, Lebanon and Iran, Reuters reported, and the Foreign Ministry said Moscow's contacts with Hamas would also continue.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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