Russia said on Tuesday it had downgraded its ties with the Hamas, in a show of support for visiting Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Russia established high-level contacts with Hamas after it won Palestinian elections last year, against the stance of the major Western powers. "Recently, we have somewhat downgraded the level of contacts with Hamas. Now we are pursuing a pragmatic goal of trying to influence them directly and indirectly to resume national unity," Russia's First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov told reporters after President Putin and Abbas met in the Kremlin.
Asked if there would be any high-level meetings with Hamas in the near future, Denisov said: "No such meetings are being planned."
Earlier, the Russian leader backed Abbas as legitimate leader of the Palestinian people and supported his efforts to end the rift with Hamas. "I want to assure you that we will support you as legitimate leader of the Palestinian people. I am sure you will do everything to restore unity," Putin told Palestinian President Abbas at the start of talks in the Kremlin.
"We have consistently urged for the interests of the Palestinian people to be protected, down to the creation of an independent Palestinian state."
Abbas urged Putin to send more aid to help ease hardship in the Palestinian territories. "Despite the coup in Gaza, we feel responsibility for the life of the people and call on friendly states to supply humanitarian aid to our people, in order not to worsen the humanitarian situation," he said, according to Reuters.
