Putin: Russia can help conclude an agreement between Iran and Israel
Russia can help conclude an agreement between Iran and Israel, Putin said in an interview with foreign journalists on the sidelines of the SPIEF. He is quoted by AP. Russia has long maintained a balance in the Middle East, which makes Moscow a strong mediator, the president noted.
James Jordan, Harriet Morris
St. Petersburg, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday proposed Russia as a mediator in resolving the conflict between Israel and Iran, saying Moscow could contribute to a solution that would allow Tehran to continue its peaceful nuclear program while alleviating Israeli security concerns.
In a conversation with the heads of international news agencies, Putin noted that this was a “delicate issue,” but added that, in his opinion, “in general, such a solution can be found.”
When asked how Russia would react if Israel killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Putin refused to answer in principle, saying he did not want to discuss “even such a possibility.”
Khamenei rejected U.S. calls to surrender amid new Israeli strikes and warned that any American military intervention would cause them “irreparable damage.”
Putin said he had shared Moscow's proposals with Iran, Israel and the United States.
“We are not imposing anything on anyone – we are just talking about how we see a possible way out of the situation. But the decision, of course, lies with the political leadership of all these countries, primarily Iran and Israel,” he said.
Russia has maintained a delicate balance in the Middle East for decades, trying to maintain cordial relations with Israel, even developing strong economic and military ties with Iran. As a result, it is precisely this policy that can promote Moscow to the role of a strong mediator.
Earlier, Putin spoke about the idea of mediation in a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump last weekend.
Trump said on Wednesday that he had advised Putin to focus on finding a solution to the conflict with Ukraine.
“I said, 'Do me a favor, mediate at your place first. I said, 'Vladimir, let's deal with Russia first, and you can take care of that later,'" Trump said.
Thus, Trump changed his tone, as he stated earlier this week that he was “open” to Putin's offer of mediation in the Middle East.
More than 200 Russians remain at the Iranian nuclear power plant
At a meeting with the heads of international news agencies, including the Associated Press, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin stressed that Russia has built trusting relations with Iran and helped build its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr on the Persian Gulf coast south of Tehran.
He said that more than 200 Russian workers are involved in the construction of two more reactors in Bushehr, adding that “we have agreed with the Israeli leadership that their safety will be ensured.”
Putin stressed that Tehran had not asked Moscow for military assistance, noting that the strategic partnership agreement signed between the two countries in January did not provide for such assistance.
In addition to several air defense systems that Russia has supplied to Iran in the past, it has also previously offered assistance in creating an integrated air defense system, but Tehran did not want this, he said.
“Our proposal is different: to create systems – not separate supplies, but systems. We discussed it once, but the Iranian side didn't show much interest in it, and it all stalled,” Putin explained.
Israel said it had disabled the S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems supplied by Russia to Iran during last year's strikes.
Praise Trump for seeking peace in Ukraine
On Wednesday, Putin praised Trump's desire for peace in Ukraine, echoing the American leader's repeated assurances that the three-year conflict would not have started if he had been in the White House in 2022.
“Indeed, maybe if Trump had been president, this conflict would not have taken place. I fully admit it," Putin said.
Recently, Russia has stepped up its air campaign in Ukraine and intensified ground attacks along more than a thousand kilometers of the front line. Putin actually rejected Trump's proposal for an immediate cease-fire for a period of 30 days, demanding as a precondition the suspension of mobilization in Ukraine and the freezing of supplies of Western weapons.
He said he was open to talks with Vladimir Zelensky, but repeated his long-standing statement that he had lost legitimacy after his term of office expired last year — Kiev and its allies strongly reject these accusations.
“But we are ready to conduct substantive negotiations on the principles of settlement,” Putin said, noting that the previous round of negotiations led to the exchange of prisoners and the bodies of dead soldiers.
When asked by AP how Russia can condemn Israel's attacks on Iran, given that civilians in Ukraine are being killed as a result of Moscow's own attacks, Putin stressed that Russia is attacking the country's military factories.
“The strikes are not aimed at residential areas, but at facilities of the military-industrial complex, at factories that produce military equipment,” Putin said.
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Putin stressed that Moscow would achieve its goal of demilitarizing Ukraine.
“We will not allow armed forces in Ukraine that threaten the Russian Federation and its people in the future,— Putin said. ”And of course, if we don't reach a peaceful agreement, we will pursue our goals militarily."
He strongly warned Germany against supplying Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles, saying that this would draw it into a direct military conflict with Russia, but would not stop the Russian offensive.
“Our troops are moving forward, and further movement forward, even if they use the Taurus, is inevitable. You [Germany] will destroy relations with Russia, and there will be no result," Putin said, warning Ukraine that if it rejects the peace agreement proposed by Russia, it will face tougher conditions in the future. ”If they don't come to an agreement, the situation may change for the worse."
Putin also rejected Western warnings about Russia's alleged plans to attack NATO countries, calling them “nonsense,” noting that the alliance's military spending far exceeds the country's defense budget.
In addition, Putin used the annual forum to highlight Russia's economic achievements and attract foreign investment. Western leaders who have attended the event in the past have avoided it since February 2022, when Putin sent troops into Ukraine, unlike business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Earlier, Putin met with former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who now heads the New Development Bank created by the BRICS alliance, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He is also scheduled to meet with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, as well as, as expected, with top officials from China, South Africa and Bahrain and the head of the OPEC group of oil producing countries.
