Russian diplomat says UK, US strikes on Yemen may cross out settlement efforts

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - A Russian diplomat said on Wednesday that strikes by the US and UK on Yemen, launched in response to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, may cross out two years of settlement efforts in the war-torn Arab country.

Speaking in an interview with Russian state news agency TASS, Russian charge d'affaires in Yemen Yevgeny Kudrov said "in the best case" the launch of the political settlement will be postponed, in the worst, everything achieved in last two years will be lost.

"We can confidently say that the effect of the US-British military adventures in the Red Sea on the prospects of a Yemeni settlement will be negative," he said.

"At best, the finalization of the roadmap, which is currently being handled by the special envoy of the UN secretary-general, Hans Grundberg, with the assistance of many international mediators, including Russia, and the long-awaited launch of the political process in Yemen, will be postponed for some time," Kudrov said.

"At worst, with a large-scale escalation of tension, we risk losing many, if not all, of the achievements of the past 1.5-2 years."

Kudrov urged "to do everything" to avoid the worst-case scenario.

Yemen has been gripped in conflict since Iran-backed Houthis took control of capital Sanaa in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the government forces in 2015. Currently, the fighting largely remains on hold amid a peace process between the warring sides.

It is, however, feared that the peace efforts could suffer a set back after Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians, who are under attack by Israeli forces since the Oct. 7 offensive by Hamas. The US and its allies have responded with air attacks on Houthi sites in Yemen.

The UK's Defense Ministry in a joint statement on Monday said US and British forces hit eight Houthi targets in Yemen with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.