Russia stands for implementation of UN resolutions and creation of an independent Palestinian state, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
“And this [Russian] position is well known both to the Israeli side and to our friends in Palestine. We have always stood for the implementation of decisions of the UN Security Council, bearing in mind first of all the creation of an independent sovereign Palestinian state,” Putin said at the plenary session of the Russian energy week.
"Without resolving fundamental political issues, the main one of which is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, it is impossible to solve the problem in general," Putin said at the Russian Energy Week, adding that "Israel's settlement policy, in addition to this, a number of other components ultimately led to an explosion of violence."
The United States neglected the mechanisms of settlement in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and decided to regulate everything on its own, relying on meeting the material needs of the people living in Palestinian territory, the president said.
"[The US], in fact, tried to replace the solution to fundamental political problems with some kind of material handouts," Putin said, noting that this will not be enough.
In both the US and Israel there are many supporters of the creation of an independent Palestinian state, but the those advocating a forceful solution to the problem are gaining the upper hand, he noted.
Commenting on the current escalation, the president said that the level of violence in Israel and Palestine is very high, but civilian casualties should be minimized, especially among children and women.
"It is unknown whether it will be possible to somehow calm the situation in the near future, but we must strive for this, because the expansion of the conflict zone can lead to dire consequences, by the way, including in the energy sector," Putin said.
The Russian president also said that he does not understand why a United States aircraft carrier is sailing towards Israel, as this is “aggravating the situation.”