© ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting in Sochi, Russia November 23, 2021.
Abbas arrived in Russia on Monday to discuss the Gaza war with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a Palestinian envoy said.
Russia's state-run TASS news agency cited the Palestinian ambassador in Moscow as saying Abbas will arrive on Monday and meet Putin on Tuesday.
Abbas heads the Fatah Palestinian movement, a rival to Hamas.
Ambassador Abdel Hafiz Nofal said the two leaders would discuss events in Gaza since the October 7 attacks on Israel. "They will talk about Russia's role, what can be done."
He added: "We have a very difficult situation, and Russia is a country that is close to us. We need to consult each other."
Moscow for years tried to balance relations with all major players in the Middle East, including Israel and the Palestinians.
But since the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's own offensive on Ukraine, Putin has moved closer to Israel's foes, Hamas and Iran.
The Kremlin has repeatedly criticized Israel's response to the October 7 attacks and called for restraint.
Comment: This occurs amidst a myriad of other significant meetings and deals between Middle East countries and the multinodal power players.
In particular, it follows a meeting with Palestine's Hamas and Fatah leadership in China, where an agreement for a 'unity government' was reached, and it was noted that it was partly intended to "blocks Israeli efforts to create some sort of collaborative structure against Palestinian interests".
This also comes amidst the looming response to Israel's criminality from Hezbollah and Iran, and as both Israel and Ukraine appear to be ramping up their provocations: