Putin and Abbas discussed the development of relations and the issue of the “Palestinian peace process”

On January 22, negotiations took place in the Kremlin between the President of Russia Putin and the head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas. The official agenda looked familiar: the situation in the Gaza Strip, humanitarian aid, possible contours of political settlement. However, behind the diplomatic formulas, a familiar scenario emerges again — Moscow uses foreign conflicts to legitimize its own aggression.

From the Russian side, there was a reminder of the recognition of the Palestinian state back in 1988 and of the “consistent support” of the Palestinian side on international platforms. To confirm the seriousness of intentions, Putin presented an economic argument: according to him, the trade turnover between Russia and the Palestinian Authority has tripled in recent years, despite the limited scale of the connections themselves.

A separate block of the conversation was devoted to humanitarian issues. The Kremlin announced the delivery of more than 800 tons of humanitarian cargo to the region since the beginning of the current conflict, and also reminded about the training of about 150 students from the Palestinian Authority in Russian universities. In this context, the idea of Donald Trump’s “Peace Council” was mentioned: Putin stated his readiness to allocate up to one billion dollars to support the Palestinian population and restore Gaza, specifying that the funds are currently frozen and are being discussed with the American side.

Mahmoud Abbas’s response was predictably favorable. He thanked Russia for years of political and diplomatic support, emphasizing that Palestinians have felt it for decades. At the same time, Abbas placed responsibility for the current tragic events on Israel’s policy in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria, as well as in Jerusalem, highlighting the scale of human losses.

According to him, the consequences of the war in the Gaza Strip are catastrophic: the number of dead and wounded is in the hundreds of thousands, the enclave is virtually destroyed, and a significant part of the civilian infrastructure — from schools to religious sites — is out of order. At the same time, the Palestinian side insists that the residents of Gaza do not intend to leave their lands and reject any relocation plans.

But the main question remains behind the scenes of official statements. Russia, conducting a full-scale war against Ukraine, systematically destroying cities and civilian infrastructure, today tries to present itself as a mediator and donor of humanitarian aid. Putin, being an aggressor and a de facto terrorist in Europe, uses the rhetoric of “peace” as a tool of geopolitical play, simultaneously undermining Ukraine’s security and creating additional risks for Israel.

For Israel and Ukraine, this Kremlin meeting is not just a diplomatic episode. It is a vivid reminder of how Moscow turns wars into a tool of influence, and humanitarian slogans into a cover for aggression. And that is why such “peace initiatives” should be treated with utmost sobriety and without illusions.
NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency