Russia’s Putin thanks Egypt’s al-Sisi for Gaza help in call on eve of election

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Gaza in a phone call on Saturday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Kremlin said, on the eve of an election in which al-Sisi is set to win six more years in power.

The Kremlin said Putin, who announced on Friday that he too would seek a new term in March, briefed al-Sisi on his talks this week with leaders from Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It said Putin thanked al-Sisi for his help in evacuating Russian citizens from Gaza and getting Russian humanitarian aid into the war zone there, and wished him well in the election.

Putin has repeatedly blamed the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas on the failure of years of US diplomacy in the Middle East, while aiming to position Russia as an important player with ties to all the major actors in the region.