Iraqi Prime Minister Asks Putin to Facilitate a Ceasefire in the Middle East

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a request to assist in ending hostilities between Palestine and Israel.

“Mr. President, I appeal to you as the president of a country that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council to come up with an initiative for a real ceasefire and to find a real solution to the Palestinian problem,” he said during the plenary session of the Russian Energy Week (quote according to TASS).

Putin during the event noted, that Russia “has always advocated the implementation of decisions of the UN Security Council,” including the creation of an independent Palestinian state. He recalled that during the creation of the State of Israel, there was talk of a sovereign Palestine, but this was never done. According to the Russian leader, it is impossible to overcome the problem “as a whole” without resolving “fundamental political issues,” including the creation of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

Earlier today, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov statedthat Russia “maintains its position as a party that has the potential to participate in the settlement processes” of the situation in the Middle East. He added that Moscow maintains contacts with both sides of the conflict, and emphasized that “the fate of Russian citizens is priority number one.”

On the morning of October 7, the Palestinian group Hamas began military operations against Israel. The militants attacked the army’s border units and freely entered Israeli populated areas, where they captured an unknown number of hostages, both military and civilian. The Israel Defense Forces responded by launching Operation Iron Swords, and the Israeli government announced that the country had entered a state of war.

According to the latest data, more than 2,000 people have died as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict escalates. In particular, on the Palestinian side, more than 1,000 people were killed, and over 5,000 more were injured. On the Israeli side, more than 1,200 people were killed and over 3,400 more were injured.