Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday praised US President Donald Trump for brokering the Gaza ceasefire agreement, calling it a potential “historic event” if successfully implemented.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Tajikistan, Putin said Russia is prepared to assist in carrying out the agreement, citing longstanding ties with the Palestinian Authority.
“Bearing in mind the level of trust that exists between Russia and our Arab friends, and especially Palestinian friends, of course, I believe our participation could be in demand,” Putin stated.
“We will, of course, always be ready to participate. We have been involved in this for decades, and I think Russia has something to say and something to offer to address the issues that will arise, one way or another, during the implementation of the agreements reached,” he added.
Putin also revealed that he postponed a Russia-Arab summit originally scheduled for October 15 in Moscow, explaining the move was made “not to interfere with the process that has been initiated by President Trump.”
Putin has in the past expressed a desire to mediate Israeli-Palestinian Arab peace talks, but nothing has materialized yet in this regard.
When asked whether Trump was unfairly passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, Putin declined to comment on the selection but praised Trump’s efforts.
During Trump’s first term as US President, Abbas rejected any mediation by Washington in the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict, due to the administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital at the end of 2017.
“He’s really doing a lot to resolve such complex crises that have lasted for years and even decades,” Putin said.
Without naming specific individuals, Putin criticized past decisions by the Nobel Committee, saying, “There have been cases where the committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to people who have done nothing for peace. A person comes, good or bad, and (gets it) in a month, in two months, boom. For what? He didn’t do anything at all. In my view, these decisions have done enormous damage to the prestige of this prize.”
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)