Putin on Gaza war: “Total destruction of the civilian population”

On the evening of June 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with heads of news agencies. He answered questions from Yusuf Ozhan, Deputy General Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Turkish Anadolu News Agency.

The questions and answers from this meeting were published on the Kremlin's press service website.

Ozhan asked: “Millions of people around the world are protesting against the attacks on the people of Gaza, which are reaching the level of genocide. How willing is Russia to play a role in finding a solution to what is happening in Gaza now? Are you willing to use the mechanisms of the Security Council? People from various backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, and even those with no connection to Palestine, are calling for an end to the situation in Gaza."

Putin responded: “Firstly, we are against terrorism in all its forms and against attacks on civilians, anywhere in the world. However, what is happening in Gaza now, in response to a well-known terrorist attack in Israel, does not look like a war. It appears to be total destruction of the civilian population. I can only repeat Russia’s official position. We believe this is the result of U.S. policy, which monopolized the Israeli-Palestinian settlement and sidelined previously established tools for collective resolution of this complex issue.

Perhaps someone in the administration believed that fewer opinions would lead to faster agreements, but practice has shown this is not the case. Resolving the issue with material handouts is also unpromising. It is unlikely that economic aid alone can solve the political issues related to the fate of the Palestinian people. Political issues need to be resolved.

The main issue is the creation of two states, as originally envisaged by the UN: a Palestinian state and a Jewish state. Without resolving key issues, it is hardly possible to address the problem in a meaningful way. Russia's position on this is principled and has not changed since Soviet times. We recognized the Palestinian state long ago.

We know that President Erdogan is making vigorous efforts to solve this longstanding problem. Given his authority in the region and the Islamic world, we hope his contribution will be significant. Russia is ready to do everything it can to help resolve the situation, considering our established relations with Israel over the past decades.”

Putin’s statement that the war in Gaza “is a total destruction of the civilian population” has been widely quoted by Palestinian media, including Hamas outlets.