Russia has been condemned for rolling out the red carpet in Moscow to senior leaders of Hamas and Iran, which one alarmed expert called proof that President Vladimir Putin is forming a new “axis of terror against the West.”
Russian Foreign Ministry officials met with Hamas leaders Bassem Naeem and Mousa Abu Marzouk in Moscow on Thursday, just weeks after their terrorist group stormed Israel and massacred at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians. .
The terrorist leaders posed with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Putin’s special envoy to the Middle East, who also met with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani on Thursday.
The Iranian official also had his own talks with Hamas’ Marzouk while both were guests in Moscow, Russian state news agency TASS reported Friday.
Hamas later praised Putin – who is currently waging war against Ukraine – for his “stance” on his war of terror against Israel.
Senior Hamas officials Bassem Naim and Moussa Abu Marzouk and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met for talks in Moscow on Thursday, sparking outrage in Israel.via REUTERS
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the diplomats emphasized “the need for a cessation of hostilities in and around the Gaza Strip and the prompt provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected Palestinian population.”
He added that his deputy foreign minister and his Iranian guest, Bagheri Kani, also reaffirmed a shared commitment to “continue close coordination of efforts in the interest of stabilizing the situation in the Middle East.”
The meetings raised alarms in the West that Russia was forming an alliance with Hamas, with Iran acting as a trusted intermediary given its current role as Russia’s supplier of kamikaze drones, as well as its long-standing support and financing for terrorism. cluster.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of forming a new “axis of terror against the West.” POOL/AFP via Getty Images
“The news that the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas is being welcomed into Moscow should be extremely worrying for the West,” Kasra Aarabi, director of the US-based United Against Nuclear Iran, told The Telegraph.
He warned that Russia and Iran were united by “hostility toward the West,” suggesting it marked “a new and imminent axis of terror against the West.”
Israel called the warm welcome from Hamas envoys in Moscow “deplorable” and accused Putin’s government of supporting terrorism.
“Israel views the invitation of senior Hamas officials to Moscow as an obscene step that supports terrorism and legitimizes the atrocities of Hamas terrorists,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement shared on X.
“The hands of senior Hamas officials are stained with the blood of more than 1,400 Israelis who were massacred, murdered, executed and burned, and they are responsible for the kidnapping of more than 220 Israelis, including babies, children, women and the elderly,” he added. , describing Hamas as “worse than ISIS.”
But on Friday the Kremlin defended Hamas’s invitation, arguing that it was necessary to maintain contacts with all parties to the Middle East conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Hamas delegation had met with representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, but not with Putin or members of his administration.
“We consider it necessary to continue our contacts with all parties and, of course, we will continue our dialogue with Israel,” Peskov told reporters.
The Russian embassy in Israel issued a statement reiterating Moscow’s call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, which Israel is hitting. with airstrikes before an expected ground invasion.
With postal cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn