Putin says Russia could help end Iran Israel conflict
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting a settlement could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns.
Speaking to senior news leaders of international news agencies, Putin noted that "it's a delicate issue," but added that "in my view, a solution could be found."
Putin said he shared Moscow's proposals with Iran, Israel and the United States. His comments follow a mediation offer that he made in a call with US President Donald Trump last weekend.
Trump said on Wednesday that he told Putin to keep focused on finding an endgame to his own conflict with Ukraine.
"I said, 'Do me a favour, mediate your own,'" Trump said he told Putin. "I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.'"
The comments represented a shift for Trump, who earlier this week said he was "open" to Putin's offer to mediate in the Middle East.
Putin, meeting with senior news leaders of international news agencies, on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, emphasised that Russia has a trusting relationship with Iran and built its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran, a policy that potentially opens opportunities for Moscow to play power broker to help end the confrontation.
Putin used his round table to praise Trump's push for peace in Ukraine, seconding the US leader's repeated claims that the three-year-old conflict wouldn't have started if he had been in the White House in 2022.
"If Trump had been the president, the conflict indeed might not have erupted," Putin said.
Russia has intensified its aerial campaign in Ukraine in recent months and stepped up ground attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometre front line. He has effectively rejected Trump's offer of an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies.
He said he is open for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but repeated his claim that he lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year - allegations rejected by Ukraine and its allies.
"We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of settlement," Putin said, noting that the previous round of talks had paved the way for the exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers.
The Russian leader also dismissed Western warnings of Russia's purported plans to attack NATO countries as "ravings," noting that the alliance's military spending far exceeds Moscow's defence budget.
The Russian leader has used the annual forum to highlight Russia's economic achievements and seek foreign investment. Western executives, who attended the event in the past, have avoided it after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Putin met earlier with former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who now heads the New Development Bank created by the BRICS alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
He is also set to have meetings with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting a settlement could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns.
Speaking to senior news leaders of international news agencies, Putin noted that "it's a delicate issue," but added that "in my view, a solution could be found."
Putin said he shared Moscow's proposals with Iran, Israel and the United States. His comments follow a mediation offer that he made in a call with US President Donald Trump last weekend.
Trump said on Wednesday that he told Putin to keep focused on finding an endgame to his own conflict with Ukraine.
"I said, 'Do me a favour, mediate your own,'" Trump said he told Putin. "I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.'"
The comments represented a shift for Trump, who earlier this week said he was "open" to Putin's offer to mediate in the Middle East.
Putin, meeting with senior news leaders of international news agencies, on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, emphasised that Russia has a trusting relationship with Iran and built its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran, a policy that potentially opens opportunities for Moscow to play power broker to help end the confrontation.
Putin used his round table to praise Trump's push for peace in Ukraine, seconding the US leader's repeated claims that the three-year-old conflict wouldn't have started if he had been in the White House in 2022.
"If Trump had been the president, the conflict indeed might not have erupted," Putin said.
Russia has intensified its aerial campaign in Ukraine in recent months and stepped up ground attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometre front line. He has effectively rejected Trump's offer of an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies.
He said he is open for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but repeated his claim that he lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year - allegations rejected by Ukraine and its allies.
"We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of settlement," Putin said, noting that the previous round of talks had paved the way for the exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers.
The Russian leader also dismissed Western warnings of Russia's purported plans to attack NATO countries as "ravings," noting that the alliance's military spending far exceeds Moscow's defence budget.
The Russian leader has used the annual forum to highlight Russia's economic achievements and seek foreign investment. Western executives, who attended the event in the past, have avoided it after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Putin met earlier with former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who now heads the New Development Bank created by the BRICS alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
He is also set to have meetings with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting a settlement could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns.
Speaking to senior news leaders of international news agencies, Putin noted that "it's a delicate issue," but added that "in my view, a solution could be found."
Putin said he shared Moscow's proposals with Iran, Israel and the United States. His comments follow a mediation offer that he made in a call with US President Donald Trump last weekend.
Trump said on Wednesday that he told Putin to keep focused on finding an endgame to his own conflict with Ukraine.
"I said, 'Do me a favour, mediate your own,'" Trump said he told Putin. "I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.'"
The comments represented a shift for Trump, who earlier this week said he was "open" to Putin's offer to mediate in the Middle East.
Putin, meeting with senior news leaders of international news agencies, on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, emphasised that Russia has a trusting relationship with Iran and built its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran, a policy that potentially opens opportunities for Moscow to play power broker to help end the confrontation.
Putin used his round table to praise Trump's push for peace in Ukraine, seconding the US leader's repeated claims that the three-year-old conflict wouldn't have started if he had been in the White House in 2022.
"If Trump had been the president, the conflict indeed might not have erupted," Putin said.
Russia has intensified its aerial campaign in Ukraine in recent months and stepped up ground attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometre front line. He has effectively rejected Trump's offer of an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies.
He said he is open for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but repeated his claim that he lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year - allegations rejected by Ukraine and its allies.
"We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of settlement," Putin said, noting that the previous round of talks had paved the way for the exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers.
The Russian leader also dismissed Western warnings of Russia's purported plans to attack NATO countries as "ravings," noting that the alliance's military spending far exceeds Moscow's defence budget.
The Russian leader has used the annual forum to highlight Russia's economic achievements and seek foreign investment. Western executives, who attended the event in the past, have avoided it after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Putin met earlier with former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who now heads the New Development Bank created by the BRICS alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
He is also set to have meetings with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting a settlement could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns.
Speaking to senior news leaders of international news agencies, Putin noted that "it's a delicate issue," but added that "in my view, a solution could be found."
Putin said he shared Moscow's proposals with Iran, Israel and the United States. His comments follow a mediation offer that he made in a call with US President Donald Trump last weekend.
Trump said on Wednesday that he told Putin to keep focused on finding an endgame to his own conflict with Ukraine.
"I said, 'Do me a favour, mediate your own,'" Trump said he told Putin. "I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.'"
The comments represented a shift for Trump, who earlier this week said he was "open" to Putin's offer to mediate in the Middle East.
Putin, meeting with senior news leaders of international news agencies, on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, emphasised that Russia has a trusting relationship with Iran and built its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran, a policy that potentially opens opportunities for Moscow to play power broker to help end the confrontation.
Putin used his round table to praise Trump's push for peace in Ukraine, seconding the US leader's repeated claims that the three-year-old conflict wouldn't have started if he had been in the White House in 2022.
"If Trump had been the president, the conflict indeed might not have erupted," Putin said.
Russia has intensified its aerial campaign in Ukraine in recent months and stepped up ground attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometre front line. He has effectively rejected Trump's offer of an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies.
He said he is open for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but repeated his claim that he lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year - allegations rejected by Ukraine and its allies.
"We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of settlement," Putin said, noting that the previous round of talks had paved the way for the exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers.
The Russian leader also dismissed Western warnings of Russia's purported plans to attack NATO countries as "ravings," noting that the alliance's military spending far exceeds Moscow's defence budget.
The Russian leader has used the annual forum to highlight Russia's economic achievements and seek foreign investment. Western executives, who attended the event in the past, have avoided it after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Putin met earlier with former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who now heads the New Development Bank created by the BRICS alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
He is also set to have meetings with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
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"We could hear it so loud that my kids thought that it was near our house," Ms Gian told AAP on Wednesday. "It's a really loud boom. You feel the house shake." But unlike earlier conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, Ms Gian said the strikes from Iran came with the added fear that the nation was believed to be working on nuclear weapons. "There's always been a fear in Israel that an escalation with Iran is the ultimate and scariest escalation that could be," she said. But she won't flee. "Our plans are to stay here for now because we live here, our house is here, our life is here, our work," Ms Gian said. Melbourne lawyer Leon Zweir, who is in Jerusalem attending a conference, has registered with DFAT to be repatriated but will not leave until the event ends on Thursday. He said the mood of Israelis was "resolute", despite the missiles flying overhead. Amid concerns the US could enter the conflict, about 1200 Australians in Israel have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs for help to leave, while 1500 Australians and family members have sought help to leave Iran. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said a small group left Israel via a land crossing on Wednesday and that the department is looking for more ways to evacuate Australians. "Obviously, the situation on the ground is fluid," she told ABC News on Thursday. Evacuation was riskier in Iran, where the advice for Australians was to shelter in place if there was no opportunity to leave safely. The conflict began on Friday after Israel moved to wipe out Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program, claiming the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump has since met his national security council and demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, adding he knew where Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. 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Israel's top diplomat in Australia said it was important to emphasise that the conflict with Iran was not about regime change. "It is not for the State of Israel to decide about the nature of the regime in Iran, it is for the Iranian people," he said. "We are focused on the military targets that were set." For Australian mother-of-three Emily Gian, life in the days since Israel launched strikes on Iran and triggered waves of missile fire in retaliation has been spent in and out of underground bunkers. "We could hear it so loud that my kids thought that it was near our house," Ms Gian told AAP on Wednesday. "It's a really loud boom. You feel the house shake." But unlike earlier conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, Ms Gian said the strikes from Iran came with the added fear that the nation was believed to be working on nuclear weapons. "There's always been a fear in Israel that an escalation with Iran is the ultimate and scariest escalation that could be," she said. But she won't flee. "Our plans are to stay here for now because we live here, our house is here, our life is here, our work," Ms Gian said. Melbourne lawyer Leon Zweir, who is in Jerusalem attending a conference, has registered with DFAT to be repatriated but will not leave until the event ends on Thursday. He said the mood of Israelis was "resolute", despite the missiles flying overhead. Amid concerns the US could enter the conflict, about 1200 Australians in Israel have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs for help to leave, while 1500 Australians and family members have sought help to leave Iran. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said a small group left Israel via a land crossing on Wednesday and that the department is looking for more ways to evacuate Australians. "Obviously, the situation on the ground is fluid," she told ABC News on Thursday. Evacuation was riskier in Iran, where the advice for Australians was to shelter in place if there was no opportunity to leave safely. The conflict began on Friday after Israel moved to wipe out Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program, claiming the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump has since met his national security council and demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, adding he knew where Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. Senator Wong said the Iranian regime threatened the stability of the Middle East. "It's time, beyond time for Iran to come back to the negotiating table, for Iran to agree to discontinue any nuclear program," she said. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1,329 others, according to Washington-based group Human Rights Activists, while Israel said at least 24 civilians had been killed.
