Middle East on the brink of full-scale war, says Putin

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin opened the Brics meeting in Kazan this Thursday (24), stating that the Middle East is close to a “large-scale war”.

“The military actions that broke out a year ago in the Gaza Strip have spread to Lebanon, the level of confrontation between Israel and Iran has also increased dramatically. All this resembles a chain reaction and puts the Middle East on the brink of a war in large scale”, declared Putin at the beginning of the meeting, alongside Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.

The Kremlin chief also took advantage of the moment to call for “reparation of the historical injustice” suffered by the Palestinian people in the region, which he considers “the guarantee of peace” in the Middle East.

“The main requirement for the restoration of peace and stability in the Palestinian territories is the two-state formula approved by the resolutions of the Security Council and the UN General Assembly,” said the Russian dictator.

Putin further stated that until the issue of Palestinian statehood is resolved, “the vicious circle of violence cannot be broken: people will continue to live in an atmosphere of permanent crisis and inevitable outbreaks of large-scale violence.”

After speaking about the Middle East issue, the Moscow dictator made new accusations against Ukraine, saying that Kiev “is being used to create critical threats to Russia’s security.”

Putin also called for a reform of the UN Security Council to integrate African, Asian and Latin American countries in front of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is also participating in the meeting.

This Thursday’s meeting is attended by the leaders of the BRICS member countries and representatives of countries that aspire to join the group, including the Venezuelan regime and Bolivia.

In a statement from the bloc’s 16th summit, released this Wednesday (23), the BRICS criticized Israel for the offensives in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, in addition to avoiding commenting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.