The Kremlin says it is trying to “clarify all the nuances” of Washington’s offer.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to join US President Donald Trump’s event “Peace Circle”The aim is ostensibly to resolve global conflicts as well as oversee governance and reconstruction in Gaza.
The invitation that emerged on Monday was extended Russia’s nearly four-year war on Ukraine continues and a peace agreement remains elusive there. Trump was trying to end the war, one he claimed he would stop within 24 hours of taking office a year ago. The war on the ground continues, and peace negotiations continue, but the pace has again slowed.
Recommended stories
3 List of itemsEnd of list
The White House itself has reached out to individuals from around the world to sit on the “Peace Board” chaired by Trump.
“President Putin has also received an invitation to join the peace council,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
Russia is trying to “clarify all the nuances” of the offer with Washington, he said, without adding whether Putin is willing to join.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally, has also been invited by Trump to join the group.
Moscow has over the years tried to balance relations with all the major players in the Middle East, including Israel and the Palestinians.
But more than two years have passed since the beginning of Israel A war of genocide Following the February 2022 invasion of Gaza and Russia into Ukraine, Putin has distanced himself from Israel, deepening ties with its adversaries such as Iran.
Moscow has sought closer ties with Gulf Arab states amid growing Western isolation.
Putin has previously praised Trump’s efforts to resolve the conflict.
“He’s really doing a lot to resolve these complex crises that have been going on for years, even decades,” Putin said in October.
Referring to the situation in the Middle East, Putin said: “If we succeed in achieving everything that Donald has tried, it will be a historic event.”
The attack on Ukraine and the war in Gaza have strained Moscow’s traditionally good ties with Israel, home to a large Russian-born community.
The Kremlin has repeatedly criticized Israel’s war on Gaza and called for restraint.
“The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian disaster in the full sense of the word,” Putin was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency during a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in May.
“Russia, as a friend of the Palestinian people, is trying to provide regular aid,” the Russian president added.
The “Peace Council”, which is expected to implement Trump’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza, is a three-tiered governing structure that includes representatives from around the world, including the US, Europe and Arab countries.
However, experts have criticized Trump, pro-Israeli officials like US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and polarizing figures in the region like former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the top, while relegating Palestinians to a third tier with municipal duties, potentially being marginalized in favor of a Palestinian political agency, a “commercial model”.