Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov October 13 laid out Moscow’s position on the rapidly developing Middle East peace efforts, emphasizing that no settlement between Israel and the Palestinians would be viable without implementing long-standing United Nations resolutions calling for an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

Speaking at a press engagement with Arab media outlets in Moscow, Lavrov expressed cautious optimism about the ongoing Sharm el-Sheikh summit, which has drawn representatives from more than 20 Arab and several Western states under the joint leadership of US President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and leaders of Qatar and Türkiye. The forum aims to consolidate the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and begin a broader political process.

“I hope all agreements will get implemented,” Lavrov said, while noting that both sides had signaled the situation was “not yet fully resolved” and could still relapse into crisis. He urged the summit’s organizers to focus on “an immediate ceasefire, adherence to the agreed line for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, the organisation of humanitarian aid, and the rebuilding of this beautiful place on Earth.”

Lavrov stressed that lasting peace “is possible only through the creation of a Palestinian state.” He welcomed the references to Palestinian statehood in President Trump’s peace plan but observed that the document dealt only with Gaza and left the future of the West Bank undefined. “The UN resolutions envisage a........

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