Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow on Saturday, ahead of Putin's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday.
Abbas told Putin that the PA's main concern was Israel's plans to expand its settlements.
"Our region and Palestine are going through a difficult time. And I can tell that another crisis is developing, which is related to the situation in Palestine … I mean the attempts and plans of Israel regarding the new settlements in the area of Khan al-Ahmar [a Bedouin village in the West Bank near Jerusalem]. This is what worries us very much," Abbas told the Russian leader.
Abbas also expressed concern about Trump's policy in the region.
"We have stopped all our contacts with the Americans. First of all, this is connected to the fact that they are trying to carry out the so-called 'deal of the century' [plan to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians] and we think that the first step on the way to that plan was the transfer of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem," he said.
Putin assured Abbas he was aware that the situation in the Middle East was "complicated" and thanked him for coming to Moscow.
"We are glad to have an opportunity to hold consultations with you on our bilateral relations and on what is happening around Palestine and on the regional problems," Putin said.
Putin and Trump are scheduled to hold their first summit on Monday in the Finnish capital.
