Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting on Monday that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas "tends toward escalation." Ryabkov blamed the United States for preventing a two-state solution from being implemented and ignoring United Nations Security Council resolutions on the issue.
Putin pointed out that many Russian citizens have been caught in the middle of fighting both in Gaza and in Israel. The Foreign Ministry vowed to "do all it can" to evacuate Russian citizens from the conflict zone.
