UPDATE - Putin says Israeli actions in Gaza 'total destruction of civilian population'

ADDS MORE COMMENTS FROM PUTIN

By Elena Teslova and Alperen Aktas

MOSCOW/ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the US is to blame for what is happening in Gaza.

"We believe this is a result of US policy. They monopolized the peace process. They pushed aside all previously established mechanisms for collective efforts to solve this extremely difficult problem," said Putin, speaking at a meeting with the heads of global news agencies in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

Indicating that the US administration might have approached the Gaza issue with "fewer views, a faster solution," Putin said: "However, in practice, this was not the case. It is not possible to solve the problem with some material offerings. The real issue, political matters, need to be resolved. This involves creating two states, as foreseen in the UN’s decision to establish two states in this territory -- a Palestinian state and a Jewish state."

Emphasizing that it is not possible to resolve the situation without addressing the fundamental issues, he said: "We have long recognized the Palestinian state since the Soviet Union era. Our approach in this regard has not changed."

Highlighting the significant efforts made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resolve the issue, Putin continued: "We know that President Erdogan has made vigorous efforts to solve this very urgent and longstanding issue. Considering President Erdogan's authority in the region, the world, and the Islamic world, we expect his contribution to be noticeable. For our part, taking into account our longstanding relations with Israel, we are ready to do everything Russia can to resolve this situation."

- Developing energy and trade cooperation with Türkiye

Touching on economic relations between Türkiye and Russia, Putin emphasized that the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is progressing according to schedule.

He said that many Turkish experts are working on the project and noted that the Akkuyu NPP opens a new field for the Turkish economy and energy sector.

Sharing his view that President Erdogan made a strategic decision with the Akkuyu NPP, Putin said that "besides many benefits, it also reduces dependency on hydrocarbon resources. We have a reliable working partnership in this field."

Putin said the planned natural gas hub in Türkiye is intended to be an electronic platform for gas trading, primarily for Europe.

"There is something I want to draw your attention to. While Türkiye cooperates with Ukraine in some areas, Ukraine tries to hit the pipelines carrying gas to Türkiye. This is not a joke or an exaggeration in any way. Two drones were jammed by Russian electronic warfare systems and fell near the gas pumping station on the Black Sea coast. Please inform our friend President Erdogan about the facts regarding this matter. There are also continuous attacks with unmanned sea vehicles on ships protecting the energy infrastructure under the Black Sea," he said.

Pointing to the development of trade relations and the trade volume between Türkiye and Russia, Putin said: "It seems to me that recently, the economic bloc of the government in Türkiye has focused on obtaining loans, making investments, and receiving grants from Western financial institutions.”

“This is probably not a bad thing. But if it is related to the restriction of trade and economic relations with Russia, then the Turkish economy will lose more than it gains. I think there is such a threat."