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‘Israel almost a Russian-speaking country’: Putin on Iran-Israel conflict amid US strikes on Tehran

Putin had earlier offered to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran to resolve the impending conflict but US President Donald Trump had rejected his offer.

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Putin further stressed that Russia’s relations with the Arab and the Islamic world have traditionally been friendly. (AP)

Amid Israel-Iran conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin has highlighted Israel’s large Russian speaking population as one of the key factors in Moscow’s approach as the United States struck Iran’s three nuclear sites on Saturday night and joined Israel’s offensive against Iran.

Putin, while speaking at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), called out those who questioned Russia’s commitment to its allies and termed them as “provocateurs”. Putin further stressed that Russia’s relations with the Arab and the Islamic world have traditionally been friendly.

Putin was asked why he is not assisting Iran.

His response: “Israel today is almost a Russian-speaking country, two million people from the Soviet Union and Russia live there. We take that into account.” 👇 pic.twitter.com/bgzNqNUdES

— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) June 21, 2025

Assessing the situation in the Middle East, Putin said “I would like to draw your attention to the fact that almost two million people from the former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation reside in Israel. It is almost a Russian-speaking country today. And, undoubtedly, we always take this into account in Russia’s contemporary history,” as reported by TASS news agency.

While noting that every conflict is unique, Putin said that Russia has a nuanced relationship with its allies across the Middle East region. Putin stated that Russia’s 15% population is Islamic and that Moscow is also an observer in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Also Read | How world leaders have reacted to US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites

Putin had earlier offered to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran to resolve the impending conflict but US President Donald Trump had snubbed him by saying that “I said, ‘Do me a favour, mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first.’ I said, ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.”

Iran has warned to retaliate against the US strikes and has reportedly said that it would target US air bases in the region.

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