Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the plenary session of the 2023 Russian Energy Week International Forum held at the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall in Moscow, Russia on October 11, 2023. Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna/Kremlin via REUTERS Licensed
MOSCOW, Oct 11 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused the United States of sending an aircraft carrier group to the region, a move that angered the Middle East, saying a “compromise solution” was needed and hoping common sense would prevail.
The Kremlin leader called the outbreak of violence between Israel and the Palestinians a vivid example of the failure of U.S. Middle East policy, which he said failed to take into account the needs of the Palestinians.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States is moving a carrier strike group, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, closer to Israel after Hamas militants launched a raid on Israel on Saturday. The place.
Putin, speaking at an energy conference in Moscow, said the U.S. move was a mistake and was sharply criticized by Turkish President Erdogan on Tuesday.
“I don’t understand why the United States would drag an aircraft carrier group into the Mediterranean. I really don’t understand that. Are they going to bomb Lebanon or what?” he said.
“Or did they decide to try to scare someone? There are people out there who are no longer afraid of anything. This is not the way to solve the problem. Compromise solutions need to be found. Of course, such behavior is inflaming the situation. “
Putin is locked in a deadlock with the West over Ukraine, accusing Washington of sidestepping established procedures for trying to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by failing to successfully take the issue into its own hands and address underlying issues.
“Now, we hear, as usual, all kinds of accusations being made against Iran without evidence. Let’s see and hopefully common sense will prevail,” Putin said.
Tehran said on Tuesday it was not involved in Hamas attacks on Israel.
The Kremlin chief described Israel’s violence as horrific and said the broader conflict could not be resolved without addressing issues such as the establishment of a Palestinian state.
He warned that any escalation in conflict areas could have serious consequences for various industries, including energy.
“First of all, this may affect logistics, insurance and freight,” Putin said.
“Of course, it won’t affect (energy) production, but it may affect all the other components that determine the state of the world’s energy markets.”
Reporting by Reuters Writing by Andrew Osborne Editing by Gareth Jones and Toby Chopra
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