Russian President Vladimir Putin pushes need for talks in calls with Israeli, Arab and Iranian leaders

Vladimir Putin expressed willingness to help end Palestinian-Israeli conflict, discussed ceasefire with regional leaders, expressed condolences to Netanyahu over Israeli deaths, and asked Egypt for assistance in evacuating Russian citizens from Gaza. He also blamed past U.S. policy failures for creating conditions that led to the latest violence. Putin seeks to demonstrate strong ties with regional players and cast Russia as a voice for peace and restraint.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 16 that Moscow wanted to help prevent a humanitarian disaster in Gaza as he waded into the Middle East crisis with a flurry of calls to key regional players.

The Kremlin said Mr. Putin expressed Russia's willingness to work towards "ending the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation and achieving a peaceful settlement through political and diplomatic means".

Its readout of the call did not include any mention of the ceasefire that Russia is trying to achieve by putting forward a resolution in the United Nations Security Council.

But Mr. Putin briefed Mr. Netanyahu on conversations with the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Syria and the Palestinian Authority in which the Kremlin said earlier that this had been discussed.

"A unanimous opinion was expressed on the need for an early ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian truce in order to urgently provide assistance to all those in need," it said of those conversations.

"There was also serious concern about the likelihood of the conflict escalating into a regional war."

The crisis has partly diverted the world's attention from Russia's war in Ukraine, providing Moscow with an opportunity to demonstrate its strong ties with all the key players in the Middle East and cast itself as a voice for peace and restraint.