Palestinian president set to visit Moscow for key talks on Monday

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will travel to Russia’s capital on Monday and is expected to meet with his counterpart Vladimir Putin, the country’s ambassador to Moscow said on Sunday.

“The president is arriving on the evening of August 12. A meeting with President Putin is expected on Tuesday, and before that, Mahmoud Abbas will lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow,” Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told state news agency TASS.

Nofal further said that Abbas’ three-day visit to the country will end with his departure on Aug. 14, expressing that the Palestinian president will also hold a meeting with Arab ambassadors in the country during his stay.

He also said that the main topic of discussion between Abbas and Putin will be the current situation in the Gaza Strip.

“They will talk about Russia's role, and what can be done. We are in a very difficult situation, and Russia is a country close to us. We need to consult,” Nofal added.

Initially planned for Nov. 15, 2023, the visit was postponed at the request of the Palestinian side due to the situation in Gaza.

The Israeli onslaught against Gaza has killed nearly 39,800 victims since October following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.