Russian president Vladimir Putin is “deeply concerned” by Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, the Kremlin said in a statement Thursday. In a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin called for the Palestinians and Israel to “hold back” and renew negotiations. “This kind of measure can block possible paths to peace in the Middle East,”
the Kremlin said of US President Donald Trump’s move. Trump’s defiant announcement, making good on a core campaign pledge, ended seven decades of US ambiguity on the status of the Holy City. Earlier, the Russian foreign ministry said Trump’s decision threatened security and risked aggravating already complicated Israeli-Palestinian ties. “Moscow views the decisions announced in Washington with serious concern,” the ministry said in a statement. READ MORE
